Image: Stanley Chen Xi, landscape and architecture photographer / Moment / Getty Images
About This Quiz
With all the attention paid to the Jamestown settlement and the long history of many New England towns, it comes as a surprise to some people that the oldest city in the United States is actually located on the coast of Florida — and that's not the only surprise hiding in this sunny southeastern state. Sure, you probably know it as the home of Disney World, South Beach and space shuttles, but how much do you know about Florida's long and rich history, its wildlife, geography, culture and beloved landmarks?
Did you know that Florida includes a string of islands known as the Keys, where you can find a slice of paradise not offered anywhere else in the States? Know just how many pro sports teams make their home in the state — hint ... it's way more than most other states. Can you name the major storms that have swept through this hurricane magnet over the years, bringing devastation, but also demonstrating the fighting spirit and work ethic of Floridians as they rebuild homes and businesses? Know which highway can get you to EPCOT the quickest, or what beach day necessity was invented amid the sun and sand of Miami in the southern part of the state?
Take our quiz to show off just how much you know about this diverse and welcoming state. You never know ... your Florida IQ might be higher than you think!
Orange juice
Florida has been a leader in U.S. citrus production since the mid-1800s. More than 75,000 people in the state are employed in the citrus industry, and 90 percent of all orange juice consumed in the U.S. comes from Florida oranges. Sadly, a condition known as citrus greening has been plaguing citrus farmers in the state and hurting production since 2005.
Corn
Cherries
Beef
Advertisement
Theme parks
Diamond mines
Rocket launches
Cape Canaveral on Florida's east coast is home to Kennedy Space Center. This is where Apollo 11 launched from on July 16, 1969, transporting Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins one giant leap to the moon.
Popular zoo
Advertisement
The Palm Tree State
The Sunshine State
Florida has plenty of sun, so its official nickname of The Sunshine State makes sense. If you've ever lived there, or even visited, you might be aware that all that sun is often interrupted by rain. In fact, Florida is one of the top five rainiest states in the U.S., with 50 inches of precipitation falling each year.
Home of Disney World
Home of Florida Man
Advertisement
Tennis
Baseball
Auto racing
Beginning way back in 1902, drivers with souped-up cars raced along the Beach Road Course in Daytona. Built in 1959, Daytona International Speedway builds on that legacy, welcoming visitors to take in the spectacle of the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's most iconic events.
Water polo
Advertisement
Bugs
Also known as the American cockroach, the Palmetto bug is the largest roach that takes up residence inside U.S. homes ... and these bugs are all over the state of Florida. Measuring 2 inches long, these creepy critters not only make many people's skin crawl, but also spread bacteria and parasites. The government of Monroe County, Florida suggests that good sanitation is the best weapon to keep these critters out of your residence.
Fish
Sandwiches
Mixed drinks
Advertisement
Everglades National Park
Dedicated as a national park in 1947, the Everglades welcomes over a million visitors a year. You may be surprised to learn it is the third-largest National Park in the whole U.S., after Death Valley and Yellowstone out west.
Seminole National Park
Bluestone National Park
Florida Keys National Park
Advertisement
Lake Orlando
Lake Banff
Lake Okeechobee
One of more than 7,000 lakes in the state and measuring 700 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake. It's also the eighth largest freshwater lake in the entire nation, according to the Florida Department of State.
Reedy Creek Lake
Advertisement
David
Carl
Andrew
Andrew was a Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 165 mph when it struck South Florida near the city of Homestead in 1992. At least 65 people were killed and tens of thousands lost their homes. Hurricane Andrew caused a staggering $20 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest hurricanes in Florida history.
Edgar
Advertisement
St. Augustine
Claimed by Spain as a colony in 1565, St. Augustine in northeast Florida is the oldest city in the U.S. More than 40 years older than Jamestown, Virginia, St. Augustine celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2015. That's even more impressive when you consider that the U.S. as a nation only turned 238 that year.
Pensacola
Jacksonville
Homestead
Advertisement
Chocolate
Route to India
Edge of the planet
Fountain of Youth
Ponce de Leon was probably searching for gold when he set sail for what is now Florida in the early 1500s, but a deep-rooted legend suggests he was actually searching for the mythical Fountain of Youth. Since at least the 1800s, the city of St. Augustine has taken advantage of this story, welcoming tourists to take in the waters at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
Advertisement
In God We Trust
For many years, Florida went with "In God is Our Trust" as their state motto. They later made a sweeping change to replace it with the same motto used by the U.S. government, going with the totally different and new "In God We Trust" starting in 1868.
Live Free or Die
North to the Future
The People Rule
Advertisement
Christopher Columbus
Amerigo Vespucci
Juan Ponce de Leon
It was explorer Ponce de Leon who gave Florida its name. The name comes from a Spanish term meaning "feast of flowers."
Captain James Cook
Advertisement
Dolphin
Panther
Felis concolor coryi, or the panther, is the official state animal of Florida. This wild cat is part of the mountain lion family and has been on the U.S. endangered species list since the 1960s.
Shark
Pelican
Advertisement
Henry Flagler
After making a fortune with Standard Oil, Henry Flagler turned his attention to Florida, building the Florida East Coast Railway to connect Jacksonville to Key West. The route opened in 1912, connecting Key West's 20,000 residents to the mainland. Flagler also left behind iconic hotels along the route to support the railroad. He was so instrumental to Florida development that the city of Miami was almost named in his honor.
J.P. Morgan
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Jay Gould
Advertisement
Mark Twain
F. Scott Fitzgerald
John Steinbeck
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway wrote part of "To Have and Have Not" while living in Key West in the 1930s. The author of "The Old Man and the Sea" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is remembered by a Hemingway lookalike contest held at Sloppy Joe's bar every year since 1981. Visitors can also visit his Whitehead Street home and pet dozens of cats descended from those owned by Ernest himself.
Advertisement
Puka shell necklace
Hermit crab
Personalized beach towel
Sub
Publix is a chain of more than 800 supermarkets located throughout Florida. Locals love them for their Pub Subs, made-to-order sandwiches filled with meats, cheeses and veggies galore. If you want to blend in with your Florida neighbors, you can't go wrong with a sub stuffed with chicken tenders.
Advertisement
1
2
3
Florida has three pro football teams, second only to the four teams that call California home. Florida's NFL teams include the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
None
Advertisement
Palm Beach
Key West
Sarasota
Tallahassee
Located in the state's western panhandle, Tallahassee has served as Florida's capital since 1824. Just the seventh-largest city in the state in terms of population, Tallahassee is home to the state's Capitol and Supreme Court, as well as Florida State University.
Advertisement
Miami
Orlando
Tampa
Sarasota
Florida is home to two MLB teams, including the Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It's also home to a pair of NBA teams, including the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
Advertisement
I-95
I-10
I-75
I-4
As a major tourist draw, Florida needs plenty of highways to get visitors from one site to the next. While I-95 runs north to south along the Atlantic and I-75 runs north to south along the Gulf, it's I-4 that passes through Orlando, carrying travelers to Walt Disney World to visit with Mickey and friends.
Advertisement
St. Johns River
At more than 430 miles, the Chattahoochee River that passes through Georgia and Alabama is the longest river with any part within Florida. The longest river contained entirely within Florida is the St. Johns at 310 miles long. The state is also home to the Suwanee River, made popular by the traditional tune "Old Folks at Home."
Seminole River
Tampa River
West Florida River
Advertisement
Key West
Key Largo
The Florida Keys are a string of islands that begin 15 miles south of Miami and are home to more than 70,000 residents. Of the four islands listed, Key Largo is the furthest north, and is located between Mile Markers 91 and 107. For reference, Key West is Mile Marker 0 on the road through the keys.
Sugarloaf Key
Big Pine Key
Advertisement
Bikini
Surfboard
Sunscreen
Miami pharmacist Benjamin Green mixed veterinary petroleum with coconut oil and cocoa butter in the 1940s to make the first sunscreen. He called it Glacier Cream, but it would soon be sold as Coppertone Sunscreen, allowing beachgoers to enjoy the sun without skin damage.
Sunglasses
Advertisement
95
20
75
1
Route 1 travels the entire east coast of Florida from north to south, then continues all the way through the Florida Keys. Using a series of 42 bridges, it spans the 113 miles between the tip of mainland Florida and the colorful city of Key West.
Advertisement
2nd
With 1,200 miles of coastline, Florida ranks second among U.S. states in terms of coastline miles. In terms of total area, it comes in 22nd place with 58,560 miles.
5th
10th
20th
Advertisement
Orlando
Miami
With more than 5 million people in its metro area, Miami in the southeast part of the state is Florida's most populous city by a wide margin. The Tampa-St. Petersburg area ranks second with 2.5 million, followed by Orlando, Jacksonville and Sarasota.
Tampa
Jacksonville
Advertisement
Halloween
Labor Day
One of the most intense hurricanes in U.S. history struck the Florida Keys on Labor Day in 1935. The Category 5 storm brought winds of 200 mph or more, which killed 400 people throughout the state. The storm is particularly notable for killing 200 WWI veterans who were in the Keys building a highway as part of Roosevelt's New Deal.
Thanksgiving
Memorial Day
Advertisement
1942
1959
1971
After experiencing success with Disneyland in California in the '50s, Walt Disney began buying up land in Florida to build a second theme park. Just a few years after his death, Magic Kingdom opened near Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 1, 1971. Today the park welcomes 20 million visitors a year, making it the most popular theme park in the world.
1991
Advertisement
James Madison
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was an Army general who fought in the First Seminole War, which helped free Florida from Spanish rule. He later became the state's first territorial governor, then went on to serve as U.S. president from 1829 to 1837.
Thomas Jefferson
John Adams
Advertisement
100
1,000
Only about 1,000 Key Deer remain in the wild, though this is an improvement from the 1950s, when fewer than 100 were left. Weighing in at less than 75 pounds these small members of the whitetail family are found only in the Florida Keys, where they swim between islands seeking food and shelter.
500,000
1,000,000
Advertisement
270 miles
380 miles
503 miles
A whopping 503 miles separate Jacksonville from Key West, Florida. Driving from Key West to Pensacola in the Florida panhandle clocks in at just under 800 miles, and roughly 360 miles separate the Atlantic and Gulf from east to west along mainland Florida.
1,100 miles
Advertisement
Miami
Jacksonville
Sparks from a wood cooking stove led to a fire that destroyed much of Jacksonville in 1901. At least 2,000 buildings were lost and 10,000 people were left homeless. Despite the devastation, the fire never quite made headlines like similar events in Chicago in 1871 and San Francisco in 1906.
Key West
Tallahassee
Advertisement
Blue
Green
Yellow
White
The state flag of Florida is white with a large red cross, known as the St. Andrews Cross, running from corner to corner and forming an X at the center. Where the two lines meet the flag features the official state seal, which includes an image of a palm tree and a Seminole Indian.
Advertisement
1774
1801
1845
For hundreds of years, Florida served as a colony of Spain. It became a U.S. territory in 1821, then was named the 27th U.S. state on March 3, 1845.
1902
Advertisement
None
A few hundred
100,000
There were an estimated 100,000 people living in the area now known as Florida when Europeans first came to the state in the early 1500s. This number doesn't include the Seminole Indians who are so closely associated with Florida. They actually came to the state in the 1700s after most of the state's earlier natives had died thanks to contact with Europeans.
Several million
Advertisement
1,000
10,000
100,000
1,000,000
At 13 feet long and weighing an average of 800 pounds, the American alligator is a fearsome predator. If you're ever tempted to swim in unfamiliar water in Florida, think twice, because the Key West Aquarium estimates that more than a million 'gators are swimming free in Florida water.
Advertisement
Florida A&M University
Florida Gulf Coast University
University of Central Florida
With around 57,000 undergrads in 2018, University of Central Florida in Orlando is the biggest college in the U.S. Florida International University in Miami also ranks among the top five largest in the nation with 48,000 undergrads.
University of Miami
Advertisement
3 million
8 million
12 million
20 million
A staggering 20 million people live in Florida, according to the Department of State, making it the fourth most populous state in the U.S. This represents a huge increase from the 13 million residents in Florida in 1990.
Advertisement
Naples
Fort Lauderdale
Situated just 30 miles north of Miami on Florida's Atlantic coast, Fort Lauderdale is a boater's paradise. More than 165 miles of canals within the city make it easy to pull that yacht up right next to your favorite restaurant instead of bothering with a car or taxi.
Tampa
Pensacola
Advertisement
Jacksonville
St. Petersburg
Miami
Key West
Inspired by the War of 1812, construction of the 5-foot-thick walls of Fort Zachary Taylor began in 1845. The fort played an important role for the U.S. in the Spanish-American War and both world wars. A National Historic Landmark since the '70s, it sits on the island of Key West and serves as a perfect spot for visitors to take a tour of history.
Advertisement
You Got:
/40
_1.083_JUAN_PONCE_DE_LE%C3%93N.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
