The flat Florida landscape is covered by a latticework of some 1,700 streams (mostly in the north and northwest) and tens of thousands of lakes (mostly in the central region). The state also contains a significant portion of the country’s first-magnitude artesian springs, most located in the central region. There are numerous drainage basins, of which the Lake Okeechobee–Everglades basin (17,000 square miles [44,000 square km]) is the largest. Lake Okeechobee (700 square miles [1,800 square km]) is the third largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States (after Lake Michigan and Alaska’s Iliamna Lake). This vast water network is fed by the state’s porous limestone substructure, which stores large quantities of water.

In general, Florida’s soils consist of sand, sandy loam, clay, peat, and muck, but more than 300 soil types have been mapped. Six broad soil regions may be described: (1) The flatwood lowland soils form the largest soil region in Florida, which corresponds to the coastal lowlands. The terrain there is level and underlaid by a hardpan that impedes drainage and encourages flooding. (2) Organic soils are found in many parts of Florida, particularly in the Lake Okeechobee–Everglades basin. In this soggy environment, submergence often prevents the oxidation, decay, and shrinkage of peat and muck, but when the soils are drained they deteriorate rapidly. (3) Southern limestone soils occur in the Kissimmee valley, the Big Cypress Swamp, and the Miami-Homestead area. (4) Northern upland soils, from dry sands to well-drained loams, occur in the region stretching across the north of the state. (5) Northern slope soils, usually considered a distinct region, lie immediately to the south. (6) Central upland soils are located in the higher ridge area of central Florida, westward to the Apalachicola River. There are a number of other zones of soils, including the dunes that fringe the magnificent beaches, as well as swamps that extend into the state’s interior.

Climate

Climatically, Florida is divided into two regions. The tropical zone lies generally south of a west-east line drawn from Bradenton along the south shore of Lake Okeechobee to Vero Beach, while north of this line the state is subtropical. Summers are uniform throughout Florida. Freezing weather of short duration (but often crippling to agriculture) can occur as far south as Miami, but the Keys have never had frost.

Rainfall is heaviest in summer, with drier weather prevailing in the winter months. The average annual rainfall ranges from 40 inches (1,000 mm) in Key West to 62 inches (1,575 mm) in West Palm Beach. Snow falls occasionally in the northern areas and has been reported as far south as Miami. The west coast of the state is particularly prone to lightning strikes in the summer months. Hurricanes (tropical cyclones) strike the state about once a year on the average, although Florida is no more vulnerable to these storms than are the other Gulf Coast states or, indeed, the entire Atlantic coast as far north as Boston. The hurricane season is from June to November, though September is the month during which they are most likely to occur. Among the more notable storms are the Great Hurricane (1928), which killed thousands of Floridians and has remained the most deadly to hit the state; and Hurricane Andrew (1992), which devastated southern Florida and caused extensive property damage.

Average annual temperatures show little variation, ranging from 68 °F (20 °C) in Tallahassee in the north to 77 °F (25 °C) at Key West in the south. Corresponding monthly averages range from the mid-40s °F (6 to 8 °C) in the north to the mid-50s °F (12 to 14 °C) in the south in January, and are in the lower 80s °F (27 to 29 °C) in August.

Plant and animal life

Thousands of plant species have been documented in Florida. Of these, several hundred are trees, many growing in the forested areas that cover about half of the state. Pines, oaks, cypresses, palms, and mangroves are the dominant varieties. Many tropical trees thrive in the state’s southern regions, while beech, red maple, sweet gum, tulip (yellow poplar), magnolia, and hickory are common in the north. Nearly half of the tree species found in the United States grow in Florida.

Vegetation in the state generally varies according to soil type. Slash and longleaf pine, oak, sabal palm, and grass are typical of the flatwood lowland region, while organic soils support saw grass, cypress, sabal palm, myrtle, willow, elderberry, and gum. In the limestone region, pines and oaks grow in some areas, but grasses, saw palmettos, and sabal palms predominate in the Kissimmee valley. Species of cypress, bay, and gumbo-limbo—a tall tree with a brown, brightly lacquered trunk—are characteristic of the extreme southern areas of the limestone zone. Northern upland soils support hardwoods, loblolly pine, and longleaf pine. A mixture of slash and longleaf pine, oak, and saw palmetto grows in the soils of the northern slopes and central uplands, while lush, dank mangrove swamps—along with tropical hardwoods, sand pine, and oak—are found in Ocala National Forest, in the north-central part of the state.

Florida’s rich and distinctive tropical and subtropical habitats are inhabited by a vast and varied wildlife population; the rarer forms, such as the crocodile, manatee (sea cow), and puma (known locally as the Florida panther [Puma concolor coryi]), are protected. About 100 species of mammals are found in the state, including deer, pumas, bobcats, boars, black bears, armadillos, otters, mink, and gray foxes; smaller animals are also numerous. Manatees are found along the coast and in warm inland waters, and several species of porpoises and dolphins lend their distinctive character to the clear coastal waters.

More than 400 species and subspecies of birds have been documented, although that number increases as new birds migrate and are identified each year. Land birds include turkeys, quail, doves, eagles, hawks, owls, and most smaller birds common to the southeastern states; aquatic species such as gulls, brown pelicans, sandpipers, ospreys, and cormorants are also numerous. Birds peculiar to freshwater and marsh regions include gallinules, ducks, geese, coots, egrets, herons, and ibises. There are vast natural rookeries in the Everglades and elsewhere, and numerous wildlife refuges are maintained for the protection of migratory birds and other animals.

The alligator is the king of Florida’s reptiles, and its role as a builder of water holes is vital to the ecology of the southern part of the state. The related crocodile, an endangered species, still inhabits part of Everglades National Park. More than 40 species of snakes are found in the state, including the country’s four poisonous types: the coral snake, rattlesnake, water moccasin (cottonmouth), and copperhead (the latter inhabits limited areas of northern Florida). Turtles, tortoises, lizards, and frogs are also abundant.

Florida’s roughly 6,250 square miles (16,185 square km) of water (of which some 4,375 square miles [11,330 square km] are inland) contain several hundred species of fish and shellfish. Common saltwater varieties include bluefish, pompano, flounder, mackerel, mullet, trout, redfish, snappers, groupers, snook, sailfish, tarpon, shad, weakfish, bonefish, marlins, and sharks. Crawfish, oysters, stone and blue crabs, clams, and shrimp are among the common shellfish. The largemouth black bass is the state’s foremost freshwater species; other freshwater fish include bream (bluegill), sunfish, speckled perch, and catfish.