Exploring Florida Trivia Quiz

Answer: peninsula

Florida is a perfect example of a peninsula: a piece of land surrounded on three sides by water but connected to a larger landmass. Florida is connected to the states of Georgia and Alabama and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Answer: It is the lowest high point of any U.S. state.

At 345 feet (105 m) above sea level, Britton Hill is the highest point in Florida and the lowest high point of any U.S. state. It is located near Lakewood, in the Florida panhandle.

Answer: Juan Ponce de Leon

Ponce de Leon landed near what is now St. Augustine six days after Easter in 1513. He named the land Florida after the Spanish phrase for the Easter season, pascua florida (feast of flowers).

Answer: 8

Though not a particularly large or strategic island, Amelia Island has been claimed by France, Spain, Great Britain, Mexico, the Confederate States of America and the United States. In addition, in 1812, with the tacit approval of U.S. President James Madison, a group calling themselves the "Patriots of Amelia Island" and displaying the "East Florida Patriot Flag" forced Spanish soldiers from the island; the patriots withdrew in 1813.

In 1817, a Scottish mercenary, Gregor MacGregor and his 150 men rousted the Spaniards again and raised the "Green Cross of Florida" and proclaimed the island the "Republic of the Floridas".

They lasted just over two months before withdrawing.

Answer: Lightning Strike Capital of the World

Florida ranks number one in the U.S. for the number of deaths due to lightning each year, averaging twelve, with 30 people injured. Clearwater thinks of itself as a beach community and would probably like to downplay the lightning image, which is not necessarily true; other places in America and the world have many lightning strikes each year.

But if you look on the underside of the lid of a Snapple tea or juice bottle you may find Real Fact #852: "Clearwater, Florida has the highest rate of lightning strikes per capita in the U.S."

Answer: potash

Potash is a salt containing potassium in water-soluble form. It and its derivatives are used in the manufacture of fertilizer, glass, soap and many other products. Most potash mining in Florida is done in the central part of the state.

Answer: earthquakes

Florida is tied with North Dakota for having the fewest earthquakes of any U.S. state. Earthquakes are rare in Florida because it is not located near any tectonic plate boundaries. Only two earthquakes were positively identified in Florida in the 20th century; in the 1952 quake in the town of Quincy, it was noted that "The shock interfered with writing of a parking ticket."

Answer: Hernando de Soto

While searching for the Fountain of Youth, de Soto found some mineral springs on Pentecost Sunday, 1539. In what is now Safety Harbor, near Tampa on Florida's west coast, de Soto named the springs Espiritu Santa Springs (Springs of the Holy Spirit) in honor of the Catholic holy day. The area has been turned into a health spa.

Answer: Andrew, 1992

Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane (winds greater than 157 mph, 252 km/h) roared into southern Florida on August 24, 1992. Wind speeds were officially measured as high as 175 mph, (280 km/h). 63,000 homes were destroyed and 100,000 damaged; about 175,000 people were left homeless. The state had 25 billion dollars in damage (in 1992 dollars, 43 billion in 2015 dollars).

Answer: porous limestone

Florida is composed of karst limestone sitting on bedrock. The porosity has resulted in many sinkholes, streams and underwater caves throughout the state. Most of the recently found sinkholes (the kind that can swallow automobiles) are in the west-central part of the state.