European settlement in what is now the
United States.
Spain gave Florida to Great Britain in
1763. Spain regained control after the
American Revolution ended in 1783.
Then the United States and Spain disagreed
on land boundaries in Florida. In
1819 Spain finally agreed to give up
Florida. Meanwhile, the United States
began fighting the Seminole Indians of
Florida. By 1858 most of the Seminole
had been forced to move west.
Florida entered the Union in 1845 as
the 27th state. In 1861, at the beginning
of the American CivilWar, it left the
Union to join the Confederacy because
many of its citizens supported the right
to own slaves. Florida was readmitted to
the Union in 1868.
In the 1880s railroad building opened
the state to settlers and a new tourist
trade. Better transportation made
Florida the winter vegetable and citrus
center of the East. In the 1900s many
more people moved to Florida. The state
prospered as the economy grew.
..More to explore
• Seminole • Tallahassee
The space shuttle Discovery launches from the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape
Canaveral, Florida, in July 2006.
Facts About
FLORIDA
Flag
Population
(2000 census),
15,982,378—
rank, 4th state;
(2008 estimate)
18,328,340—
rank, 4th state
Capital
Tallahassee
Area
65,755 sq mi
(170,305 sq
km)—rank, 22nd
state
Statehood
March 3, 1845
Motto
In God We Trust
State bird
Mockingbird
State flower
Orange blossom
36 Florida BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a chain of about
60 islands off the coast of southern
Florida. The chain begins in the Atlantic
Ocean just south of Miami Beach. From
there it curves southwestward into the
Gulf of Mexico. The chain is about 220
miles (355 kilometers) long.
The largest of the keys is Key Largo. It is
about 30 miles (48 kilometers) long and
less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide.
KeyWest is a small island at the western
end of the chain. The city of KeyWest
spreads over the island. It is the southernmost
city in the United States outside
of Hawaii.
Mangrove trees line the shores of the
keys. Tropical hardwood trees and palms
grow on higher ground. More than 600
types of fish live in the waters around
the keys. John Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park, off Key Largo, contains the
largest living coral formations in North
America.
Tourism and fishing are the most important
economic activities of the keys. A
road called the Overseas Highway connects
all of the main islands.
#More to explore
Florida • Mexico, Gulf of
Flower
A flower is the part of a plant that blossoms.
Flowers produce the seeds that
can become new plants. Most plants,
including many trees, grow some kind
of flower.
Physical Features
Flowers vary widely in their shape, size,
color, and scent. Many types are small
and barely noticeable. The blossoms that
most people think of as flowers are those
that are colorful and showy.
A flower usually has four main parts.
These are the calyx, the corolla, the stamens,
and the pistils. All of these parts
are usually bunched together at the tip,
or receptacle, of the flower stem.
The western keys of Key West, Florida, are
made of limestone. The eastern keys are
made of an old coral reef.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Flower 37
The calyx is the outermost part of a
flower. It is made up of sepals. The
sepals are usually green and look like
small leaves. The sepals enclose and protect
the flower bud while it is developing
into a flower.
The flower’s petals form the corolla.
Within the corolla are the stamens and
the pistils. The stamens are the male parts
of a flower. They produce tiny grains
called pollen. Pollen grains contain
sperm cells. The pistils are the female
parts of a flower. The pistils contain egg
cells that can develop into seeds. Some
flowers have both stamens and pistils.
Others have either stamens or pistils.
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which flowers
form seeds. This is how plants reproduce.
There are two main kinds of pollination:
self-pollination and cross-pollination.
Self-pollination is the transfer of pollen
from a stamen to a pistil on the same
plant. This can happen within one
flower or between different flowers on
the plant. Cross-pollination is the transfer
of pollen from a flower on one plant
to a flower on another plant.
Flowers depend on carriers for crosspollination.
Carriers are things that
carry pollen from one plant to another.
They include the wind, insects, birds,
and other animals.
After a grain of pollen lands on a flower’s
pistil, fertilization occurs. That is, a
sperm cell from the pollen enters the egg
cell in the pistil. The fertilized egg then
grows into a seed.
Uses
Flowers are symbols of beauty in most
cultures of the world. Many people give
A garden in The Netherlands features flowers
of many shapes and colors.
The main parts of a flower are the calyx,
the corolla, the stamens (male parts), and
the pistils (female parts). Some flowers have
only stamens. Others have only pistils.
38 Flower BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
flowers as gifts. People also use flowers as
decorations during holidays and at weddings
and other ceremonies. Flowers
with a lovely scent may be made into
perfume.
