Strange and funny Florida facts

March 28, 2012 | In: City Facts

The state of Florida is situated in southeastern United States, and the 4^th most populated state in the country, with a population of 18,800,000. It is the southernmost state situated in mainland USA. But the southernmost state in the US is Hawaii. There is a river in Florida, named Saint John’s River, that actually flows North, instead of South.

Orlando, the 5^th largest city in Florida, has an amusement park that attracts more visitors than any other park in the United States, even though the population of the city is 240,000.

All across Florida, there are approximately 7700 lakes, but the biggest one is Lake Okeechobee, locally referred as The Big O. It is the 7^th largest freshwater lake in the US, covering 730 square miles, with an average depth of 9ft.

Florida is the only state in the USA that has two rivers with the same name. There is a Withlacoochee in north central Florida (Madison County) and a Withlacoochee in central Florida. The only thing they have in common is their name.

The state symbol is the panther. All across Florida there are only 50 left in the wild. But the panther isn’t the only endangered specie in Florida. The crocodile is also endangered, with approximately 200-300 pairs left.

Did you know that the rollerbladers inspired a bank manager to create the first ATM? The first machine from which you could get money was designed so that people with rollerblades could have easy access to their funds.

Every year, the people of Florida fight with the people of Alabama. The people of Florida gather in a bar in Pensacola and toss stinky fish at their neighbors. It’s pretty stinky, but somehow very funny.