Top 5 things you didn't know about Florida.

The Sunshine State, one of the most populated states in the United States, attracts world tourism because of the beauty of its beaches, its amusement parks, and the charm of some villages that preserve the history of hundreds of years.

 

However, many details make Florida the best place to visit.

 

Beaches and more beaches

 

When talking about regions in Florida, it is not enough to say Panhandle or the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

 

Here, the 8,436 miles of coastline are perfectly grouped into 10 specially named shores.

 

First Coast: In addition to being the first region visitors cross when entering the state along Interstate 95, the First Coast, which includes St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Orange Park, and Fernandina Beach, was the first to be discovered and settled in 1565.

 

Space Coast: Your area code is 321 for a reason. It is home to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, the birthplace of American space flight.

 

When the space program was launched, the location of Cape Canaveral in central Florida proved to be the perfect location because of its proximity to the equator, allowing the rockets to take advantage of the Earth's speed when they were headed east for orbit.

 

Most of the area is within Brevard County. Major cities include Titusville, Cocoa, Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, and Palm Bay.

 

Other beautiful barrier islands include Sanibel, Captiva, Marco Island, and Estero. Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Cape Coral are some of the mainland cities.

 

Women's power!

 

Miami is the only major American city founded by a woman. In 1875, Julia Tuttle visited Miami for the first time, and in 1891, she moved there permanently.

 

Tuttle bought a square mile of land at the mouth of the Miami River and eventually persuaded Henry Flagler to extend his train service from Palm Beach to Miami by sending him orange blossoms.

 

She is known as the Mother of Miami.

 

Waterfalls in Florida

 

There are 663 miles of beautiful beaches, hundreds of impressive springs, and millions of acres of wetlands, but it's pretty hard to find a waterfall in Florida.

 

There are man-made waterfalls, including some at Rainbow Springs State Park near Dunnellon, but there are only three natural waterfalls in the Sunshine State.

 

The highest is at Falling Waters State Park, near Chipley. It plunges 73 feet into a 20-foot cylindrical sinkhole and disappears underground.

 

Devil's Millhopper State Geological Park in Gainesville features a 120-foot deep and 500-foot wide sinkhole with several small waterfalls cascading down its limestone walls. During normal water levels, Falling Creek Falls, north of Lake City, roar over a 10-foot waterfall, flow through a deep ravine and then disappear into the ground.

 

Invention of sunscreen

 

A World War II aviator from Miami Beach named Benjamin Green wanted to protect his fellow soldiers from the sun. Green used red veterinary oil, which worked but was heavy and unpleasant, according to the New York Times.

 

After the war, Green added cocoa butter and coconut oil, and eventually invented Coppertone.

 

Britton Hill, the highest point in Florida

 

Florida's flat. It's even flatter than Kansas, according to Jerry Dobson of the American Geographic Society.

 

It is so flat that Florida's natural highest point, Britton Hill, also takes the award for being the lowest state highpoint in the United States.

 

Britton Hill, in northern Walton County, is 2 miles southeast of Florala, Alabama, and is 345 feet above sea level.