Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. It 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 Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida and Cuba; it is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, is the third-most populous. The state capital is Tallahassee and the most populous city is Jacksonville. The Miami metropolitan area, with a population of almost 6.2 million, is the most populous urban area in Florida and the ninth-most populous in the United States; other urban conurbations with over one million people are Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
Florida is world-renowned for its beach resorts, amusement parks, warm and sunny climate, and nautical recreation; attractions such as Walt Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, and Miami Beach draw tens of millions of visitors annually. It has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, spanning approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), not including its many barrier islands, and has 4,510 islands that are ten acres (4 ha) or larger in area, the second highest number after Alaska.
Florida has several unique ecosystems, most notably Everglades National Park, the largest tropical wilderness in the U.S. and among the largest in the Americas. Unique wildlife include the American alligator, American crocodile, American flamingo, Roseate spoonbill, Florida panther, bottlenose dolphin, and manatee. The Florida Reef is the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States, and the third-largest coral barrier reef system in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef and Belize Barrier Reef).
These wonderful photos were taken by Steven Martin that show what life of Florida looked like in the 1980s.
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| People at Country Music Event, Coral Springs, Florida, 1982 |
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| Beach guys holding beer at Pompano Beach Pier, Florida, 1983 |
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| Couple playing video games at a flea market, Margate, Florida, 1983 |
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| Flea market, Margate, Florida, 1983 |
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| Girl at a festival in Coral Springs, Florida, 1983 |
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| Girl playing PacMan at Coral Springs festival, Florida, 1983 |
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| Girl sucking on straw, at flea market, Margate, Florida, 1983 |
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| Girls at Coral Springs festival, Florida, 1983 |
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| Girls at festival, Coral Springs, Florida, 1983 |
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| Guys pose by a Navy recruiting van, Coral Springs festival, Florida, 1983 |
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| Kids on street playing ball, Coral Springs, Florida, 1983 |
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| People take a look at the merchandise at the stand, Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida, 1983 |
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| Women stroll past tables at a Margate, Florida flea market, 1983 |
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| Girl posing, Dania Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| Girl with toys at Margate flea market, Florida, 1984 |
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| Girls hanging out at beach, Pompano Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| Making a purchase at flea market in Margate, Florida, 1984 |
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| People at Margate flea market, Florida, 1984 |
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| People on beach on a winter day, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| People on Boardwalk, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| People on Boardwalk, Hollywood Beach, 1984 |
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| People posing with beer, Dania Pier, Florida, 1984 |
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| Three gals, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| Two girls, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1984 |
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| Girl looking up, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1985 |
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| Girls and woman on Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1985 |
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| Girls stroll on Boardwalk while a bicyclist rides behind to the right, Hollywood Beach, Florida, 1985 |
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| Looking north a North Hollywood Beach. The Dania Pier is in the background, Florida, 1985 |
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| Mickey Mouse goes by. Event took place at the Coral Square Mall, Coral Springs, Florida, 1985 |
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| People on the beach with the Atlantic Ocean behind, Hollywood, Florida, 1985 |
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| A crowd at a street art fair in Delray Beach, Florida, 1986 |
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| Broward County Fair, Florida, 1986 |
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| Pompano Beach Pier, Florida, 1987 |
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| Pompano Beach Pier, Florida, 1987 |
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| Women relaxing, Sanborn Square, Boca Raton, Florida, 1987 |
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| An attractive young lady makes change for a customer at a frozen snack cart, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1988 |
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| Couple walks by on a sidewalk, avoiding the crowds in the street, SunFest, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1988 |
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| People strolling near Lake Worth Pier, Florida, 1988 |
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| Women by food booths, SunFest, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1988 |
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| Women canoeing, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida, 1988 |