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FLORIDA

Introduction

The State of Florida may be found in the south eastern portion of the United States. Its position is such that it borders on Alabama in the northwest and Georgia in the northeast. The land mass of the state constitutes a peninsula, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico in both the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. In terms of climate, most of the state is subtropical and humid, whilst the southern portion is distinctly tropical. With respect to population, Florida is the fourth highest state in the US.

Urbanisation

The state of Florida consists of 20 metropolitan areas, referred to as MSA's. Florida state is made up of sixty seven counties, of which thirty nine are contained within an MSA. Further, most of the Metropolitan areas within the state are centred in or around the coastal region of the peninsula. Such a disposition is in direct relation to the population distribution in Florida.

These MSA's take the form of a continuous band down the east coast of the state and extend from the Jacksonville MSA to the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach MSA. Apart from Monroe County, such a band encompasses every east coast county in the state.

The west coast of the peninsula also has a continuous band of MSAs which stretch from the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSA all the way to the Naples-Marco Island MSA. As in the case of the east coast, this band contains all the west coast counties covering the area from Hernando County to Collier County.

There are also has several MSAs, connecting the east and west coast MSAs, situated within the interior of the northern half of the peninsula. Further, there are a few MSAs that are scattered across the Florida panhandle.

Of all the MSA's in Florida, the largest is the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area. Apart from supporting a population of over five million people, it is also that largest metropolitan area in the entire southeastern United States.

Of note is the fact that Miami ranks as the third largest skyline in the United States.

The following represents a guide as to the major population centres within the state:

Jacksonville 805,605, Miami 409,719, Tampa 336,823, St. Petersburg 246,407, Orlando 227,907, Hialeah 212,217, Fort Lauderdale 183,606, Tallahassee 168,979, Cape Coral 156,891 and Port Saint Lucie 151,391

Religion

The most prominent religion throughout the state is the Protestant. However, Roman Catholicism represents the largest single denomination in the state. Furthermore, there is a significant Jewish presence, with its centre in and around South Florida. In fact, this represents the largest Jewish community within any of the Southern states.

The following sets out a breakdown of the various religious affiliations present in the state of Florida:
Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 48%, Baptist 9%, Methodist 6%, Pentecostal 3%, Jewish 3%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Muslim 1%, Orthodox 1%, other religions 1%, non-religious 1%
Attractions - How To Succeed