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Florida Info
Regions
Florida has three mainland regions: (1) the Atlantic Coastal Plain, (2) the East Gulf Coastal Plain, and (3) the Florida Uplands.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain is part of an important land region that extends as far north as New Jersey. In Florida, it covers the entire eastern part of the state. The region is a low, level plain ranging in width from 30 to 100 miles (48 to 160 kilometers). A narrow ribbon of sand bars, coral reefs, and islands lies in the Atlantic Ocean, just beyond the mainland. Long shallow lakes, lagoons, rivers, and bays lie between this ribbon and the mainland. Marshes stretch inland from the coast.
Big Cypress Swamp and the Everglades cover most of southern Florida. The Everglades include 2,746 square miles (7,112 square kilometers) of swampy grasslands. Water covers much of this region, especially during the rainy months.
The Florida Keys make up the southernmost part of the state. These small islands curve southwestward for about 150 miles (241 kilometers) off the mainland from Miami. Key Largo is the largest island.
The East Gulf Coastal Plain is also part of a larger land region. It begins at the Gulf of Mexico and extends as far west as western Mississippi and as far north as southern Illinois. In Florida, the East Gulf Coastal Plain has two main sections. One section covers the southwestern part of the peninsula. It joins the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the middle of the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. The other section of the East Gulf Coastal Plain curves around the northern edge of the Gulf of Mexico to Florida’s western border.
The East Gulf Coastal Plain is similar to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Long, narrow islands extend along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. Large coastal swamps stretch far inland.
The Florida Uplands is shaped somewhat like a giant arm and hand. A finger of the hand points down the center of the state toward the southern tip of the peninsula. The uplands separate the two sections of the East Gulf Coastal Plain from each other and from the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
The uplands region is higher than Florida’s other land regions. But its average elevation is only between 200 and 300 feet (61 and 91 meters) above sea level. Lakes called sinkholes, or lime sinks, are common in the Florida Uplands. They are formed by cave-ins where a limestone bed near the surface has been dissolved by water action. Pine forests grow in the northern section. Citrus groves thrive in the southern part.
The northern part of the Florida Uplands extends from the northwestern corner of the state along the northern border for about 275 miles (443 kilometers).
Land Regions of Florida
Its width varies from about 30 to 50 miles (48 to 80 kilometers). This section has fertile valleys and rolling hills of red clay. Many hardwood and softwood forests are found there. The southern part of the Florida Uplands is a region of hills and lakes. It covers an area about 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide and about 160 miles (257 kilometers) long.
Coastline of Florida is 1,350 miles (2,173 kilometers) long. The Atlantic coast has 580 miles (933 kilometers) of shoreline. The Gulf coast is 770 miles (1,240 kilometers long. When sounds, bays, and offshore islands are included, the Atlantic coastline is 3,331 miles (5,361 kilometers) long and the Gulf coast is 5,095 miles (8,200 kilometers) long. Biscayne Bay, south of Miami, is the one major bay on the Atlantic.
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