page_title: Florida
section_title: State symbols
hierarchical_section_title: Florida / State symbols
caption_attribution_description: Florida license plate
context_page_description: Florida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. With a population of over 21 million, Florida is the third-most populous and the 22nd-most extensive of the 50 United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. The state's capital is Tallahassee and its most populous municipality is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of almost 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the seventh-most populous in the United States. Other urban areas in the state with a population of more than one million are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Florida's $1.0 trillion economy is the fourth-largest of any U.S. state, and if it were a country, Florida would be the 16th-largest economy in the world.
  The first European contact was made in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who called it la Florida upon landing there. At various points in its colonial history, Florida was administered by Spain and Great Britain. Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845.
context_section_description: The majority of the symbols were chosen after 1950; only the two oldest symbols—the state flower (chosen in 1909), and the state bird (chosen in 1927), and the state nickname (chosen in 1970)—are not listed in the 2010 Florida Statutes.
  Amphibian: Barking tree frog
  Animal: Florida panther
  Anthem: "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)"
  Beverage: Orange juice
  Bird: Northern mockingbird
  Bird: American flamingo
  Festival: "Calle Ocho-Open House 8"
  Fish
  (fresh water): Florida largemouth bass
  Fish
  (salt water): Atlantic sailfish
  Flower: Orange blossom
  Fruit: Orange
  Gem: Moonstone
  Horse: Florida Cracker Horse
  Insect: Zebra longwing
  Mammal
  (salt water): Common bottlenose dolphin
  Mammal
  (marine): Florida manatee
  Motto: "In God We Trust"
  Nickname: The Sunshine State
  Palm Tree: Coconut palm
  Pie: Key lime pie
  Play: Cross and Sword
  Reptile: American alligator
  Reptile
  (salt water): Loggerhead sea turtle
  Rodeo: Silver Spurs Rodeo
  Shell: Horse conch
  Soil: Myakka soil
  Song: "Old Folks at Home"
  State day/week: Pascua Florida
  Stone: Agatized coral
  Tortoise: Gopher tortoise
  Tree: Sabal palmetto
  Wildflower: Tickseed
caption: In God We Trust motto on Florida license plate
exif: {}