The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-10-07
As Others See 1t
FLoRIDA'S LOCATION
(By Moses Folsom.)

Florida is the most southerly state of the Union
and second largest east of the Mississippi It's
area is 1886 square miles, according to the Unit
ed States statistical abstract 1t is nearest to the
West Indies, South America and the Panama
Canal Key West is 80 miles from Havana, Cuba,
with which it has ferry carrying railroad cars,
besides airplane service for mails and passengers.
The distance from Jacksonville in nautical
miles to Colon, Panama found by the U. S.
Bureau of Navigation is 1916 miles; from Key
West the distance is 1910 miles; from Tampa,
1920 miles; from Pensacola, 1850 miles. These
are the nearest American ports to the Canal and,
accordingly, gives eastern America it's nearest
access to the Pacific ocean countries. The dis
lance by from Jacksonville to Brunswick,
Ga, is so miles; to Savannah Ga, $50 miles; to
Charleston, S. c.. 200 miles; to Baltimore, Md,
40 miles; to Philadelphia Pa, 76O miles; to New
York City, 100 miles to Boston Mass, 1920
miles. From Key West to Pensacola by sea it is
400 miles; to Tampa 235 miles to Vera Cruz
Mexico $40 miles; to Tampico. the Mexican oil
port, 90 miles; to New Orleans, $40 miles; from
Miami to Nassau it is 1856 miles.
The sea gives Florida connection with all the
continents and islands of the earth. No other
state equals it in this respect. Its many fine
harbors are free from winter snow, ice and cold
winds and shipping is safe proposition in All
seasons
The coast, with fine beaches at many
points, is over 1000 miles long without counting
indentations of bays and inlets. Interior lakes
and fine springs of fresh water numerous,
with many rivers, 10 being navigabe. in all
have some 4,UvJ square miles of water surface
being second only to Minnesota in this respect
The state of Florida lies south of the thirty
first parallel of latitude, and the state of Cali
fornia lies north of it. By longitude, Jackson
vile is due south of Cleveland, Ohio and Pensa-
cola is about due south of Chicago.
Florida is bounded on the north by Georgia
and Alabama, the east by the Atlantic ocean
on the south by the Strait of Florida, separating
it from Cuba,-and the Gulf of Mexico, and on
the west by the Gulf of Mexico and Alabama
the extreme western boundary being defined by
the Perdido river.
Florida is situated between latitude oath de-
gree, 30 minutes and the 31st degree north, and
longitude 10Th degree, As minutes, and S7th
degree, IS minutes west
BY longitude the republic of Panama is due
south of Florida, and all of South America lies
which passes down the Atlantic coast of Florida
passes down the Pacific ocean along the western
coast of South America
Foridas nearest continental neigllbor across
the Atlantic is Morocco, in Africa, on the parallel
of Egypt Judea, Arabia and Persia the seat of
the earliest and most popuous civilizations, where
the earths three great religions Judaism, Chris
tianity and Mohammedanism, originated.
1t is possible from Florida to take the shortest
trip around the world by sailing from the St.
Johns river to the Mediterranean, and then
through the Suez canal, Red Sea, Indian ocean,
the Pacific, the Panama canal, the Caribbean Sea,
the Gulf of Mexico and back home to Florida