4 10 the atlantic coastal plain

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Scott Foresman Social Studies

ISBN 0-328-14872-5

ì<(sk$m)=beihcb< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Fascinating Facts

• Canaveral National Seashore has twenty-four miles

of undeveloped beach: that’s the longest stretch of

undeveloped beach on the east coast of Florida

• Of the more than $2 billion in federal and state

disaster aid approved for Florida after four

hurricanes struck the state during August and

September 2004, more than $25 million was

approved for Miami-Dade County

• The area of Miami where many Central Americans

have settled is called Little Managua

Nonfi ction Main Idea

and Details

• Maps

• Chart

• Sidebars

Scott Foresman Social Studies

ISBN 0-328-14872-5

ì<(sk$m)=beihcb< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Fascinating Facts

• Canaveral National Seashore has twenty-four miles

of undeveloped beach: that’s the longest stretch of

undeveloped beach on the east coast of Florida

• Of the more than $2 billion in federal and state

disaster aid approved for Florida after four

hurricanes struck the state during August and

September 2004, more than $25 million was

approved for Miami-Dade County

• The area of Miami where many Central Americans

have settled is called Little Managua

Nonfi ction Main Idea

and Details

• Maps

• Chart

• Sidebars

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Write to It!

The Atlantic Coastal Plain has many varied resources List the resources that are in and around one of the cities you read about What businesses might those resources appeal to?

Identify one business and write a paragraph that explains why that business would find those resources attractive

Write your paragraph on a separate sheet of paper.

ISBN: 0-328-14872-5

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reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise For information regarding

permission(s), write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue,

Glenview, Illinois 60025.

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Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.

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Vocabulary

plain climate urban rural resource sea level limestone barrier island hammock endangered

Florida’s Atlantic Coastal Plain is a low-lying

region that stretches along the state’s east coast

This mild and warm region has many cities and

resources that attract people from around the

world You will learn about three of these cities

and the resources that are found in and near them

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New York Sales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, Illinois Coppell, Texas • Sacramento, California • Mesa, Arizona

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The Atlantic Coastal Plain

of Florida

One of Florida’s three physical regions is the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which lies along the east coast

of Florida It is a somewhat narrow region, ranging

in width from about 30 to 100 miles (48 to 160

kilometers) As suggested by its name, the Atlantic

Coastal Plain borders the Atlantic Ocean As a plain,

it is fairly low and flat Its climate is warm and mild,

but the northern part of it has cooler winters than the

southern part

The ocean side of the plain has about 580 miles (933 kilometers) of shoreline and boasts some of

Florida’s largest cities The plain’s coastal areas are

more densely populated than its inland areas

The coast, however, is not one huge urban sprawl

Rural areas are tucked in among the urban stretches

of the coast and are found inland as well Some of

these rural areas are lands for growing crops and

raising livestock Mining occurs in other rural areas,

and some rural spaces remain unsettled, preserved

as parks for the wildlife that live there and for people

to enjoy Florida’s Atlantic Coastal Plain has many

interesting places to visit and many resources Read

on to find out about them

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Lake Okeechobee

Gulf of Mexico

Stra its

of Fl

or id a

Florida Keys

E

e rg

la d s

tton Hill

St Augustine

GEORGIA

0 50 100 Miles

0 50 100 Kilometers

Atlantic Coastal Plain

City

Key

N

3

Florida’s Atlantic Coastal Plain is on the east coast of Florida.

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St Augustine and

Surrounding Regions

St Augustine, situated in St Johns County in northeastern Florida, is a small city with an elevation of

five feet above sea level The residents of St Augustine

come from a variety of backgrounds and include many

people who were born in foreign countries

Through the centuries, people have come to

St Augustine for different reasons St Augustine’s

colorful past begins with the Native Americans

who were the first people to settle the area Spain

later claimed Florida in 1513 All of Spain’s

attempts to settle Florida failed until 1565, when

the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

(may-NAYN-dehs day ah-vee-LAYS) founded

St Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied

settlement established by Europeans in the present

United States

At first, St Augustine served as Spain’s military headquarters in North America In the late 1600s the

Spanish built a large fort, the Castillo de San Marcos

(Cass-TEE-yo day san MAR-cos), to protect the town

5

In time St Augustine grew into a city By the 1870s Florida’s warm, fairly dry winters had begun

to attract visitors, especially from the northeast and midwest United States Many people came to the warm climate for health reasons By the 1880s, businesspeople had turned St Augustine into a desirable vacation spot that healthy tourists wanted

to visit, not just those who were ill

Today, tourism continues to be an important business in St Augustine, with about six million tourists from all over the world visiting the city each year Many tourists come to St Augustine to visit its historic sites Other tourists come to golf or to enjoy nearby beaches and parks Just as they did in the 1880s, St Augustine’s warm winters continue to appeal to visitors

Henry Flagler

In the 1880s Henry Flagler, a wealthy businessman, saw an opportunity to turn St Augustine into a resort for the wealthy He built a railroad through the city and opened three hotels there By the late 1880s, St Augustine was attracting wealthy Americans who came to Florida to vacation.

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St Augustine’s climate is mild, just like the rest

of St Johns County and much of Florida Summer

months are warmer and wetter than winter months

This mild climate is ideal for farming Therefore,

in parts of rural St Johns County, agriculture is an

important business Some farmers grow animal feed

or vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, broccoli,

and eggplant, while others raise beef cattle

Agriculture is a valuable business in St Johns County.

0 50 100 Miles

0 50 100 Kilometers

Flori da

Ke ys

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Gulf of Mexico

Jacksonville

St Augustine Gainesville

Orlando Tampa

Ft Myers

Melbourne

Cape Canaveral

Tallahassee Panama

City Pensacola

Miami

John F Kennedy Space Center

GEORGIA ALABAMA

Lake Okeechobee

0 100 200 Kilometers

N

Capital city Other city Place of interest

Key

7

Some businesses are attracted to St Johns County because of its mild climate and plentiful resources, which include forests and minerals Forests provide timber Minerals and clay are mined in parts of the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain

Another valuable resource is a type of limestone

called coquina (coh-KEE-nah), which is found along Florida’s Atlantic coast from St Augustine to Palm Beach Coquina is often used in construction, and many structures in St Augustine are made of coquina, including the Castillo de San Marcos, Florida’s oldest and largest structure built of coquina

This map shows some cities in Florida.

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Cape Canaveral and

Surrounding Regions

Cape Canaveral is a fairly young city Unlike

St Augustine, it has been a city only since the

early 1960s However, like St Augustine, Cape

Canaveral is a small, low-lying city along the coast

of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Bordered on the east by

the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Banana

River, Cape Canaveral lies about halfway between

Jacksonville and Miami Port Canaveral and the John

F Kennedy Space Center are situated to the north of

Cape Canaveral

Goods are shipped from Port Canaveral to ports in the United

States and other countries.

9

Port Canaveral is the only deepwater port between Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, so cruise ships and cargo ships can dock there Its central location on the Atlantic Coastal Plain contributes to its frequent use Goods that pass through Port Canaveral include cement, steel, minerals, petroleum, lumber, fresh produce, juice, and frozen foods

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A mild climate, ocean beaches, and attractions such as the nearby John F Kennedy Space Center

attract many people to Cape Canaveral The area’s

mild climate and ocean-side location also appealed

to the United States government when it was

deciding where to locate the future John F Kennedy

Space Center The mild climate meant that the space

center could operate year-round Because the center

would launch all space missions that carry

crews, it was also desirable to have

the launches occur over water

The John F

Kennedy Space

Center is a

popular tourist

destination.

11

The natural spaces located in the Cape Canaveral area are useful in many ways Tourists and residents alike enjoy the beaches in and near the city The nearby Canaveral National Seashore is on a

barrier island and includes beach, dune, lagoon, salt

marsh, hammock, and pine flatland habitats Barrier

islands protect the mainland from pounding ocean waves and are important defenses during storms

The varied habitats at Canaveral National Seashore support more than a thousand types of plants and

animals, including migratory birds and endangered

species such as the West Indian manatee, the Southern bald eagle, and the wood stork In June and July visitors to the park can join rangers to watch endangered loggerhead sea turtles nest on the sandy beach Behind the barrier island is Mosquito Lagoon,

a profitable commercial fishery for clams, oysters, shrimp, fish, and crabs

Canaveral National Seashore has twenty-four miles of undeveloped beach.

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Miami and Surrounding Regions

Further south along the Atlantic Coastal Plain

is Florida’s second-largest city, Miami, with a

population of more than 360,000 People have

come from many parts of the world to live in Miami

In the year 2000, two-thirds of Miami’s residents

were Hispanic, many with a Cuban background This

rich cultural tradition is reflected in many of Miami’s

neighborhoods, such as Little Havana

Due to its southern location, Miami has a tropical climate with summers that are wet and warm, or hot

Winters are warm, and frosts seldom occur

Little Haiti

In the late 1970s many refugees from Haiti began settling in the Miami area They soon transformed their neighborhood into a bustling Caribbean community, with foods and shops featuring goods—such as spices and music—that are a traditional part of Haitian culture By the 1980s, people had begun calling this Creole-speaking neighborhood Little Haiti.

13

Many Cubans immigrated to the United States in the 1960s Many of them settled in Miami, in the neighborhood now known as Little Havana They opened shops, parks, and restaurants that reflected the flavors and history of their homeland Little Havana became the center of Miami’s Cuban American

community Later groups of Cuban immigrants were drawn to the area, and today, many newcomers from other Latin American countries live in the area Their cultural heritage is reflected in the restaurants of Little Havana, a popular tourist destination

Many Cubans who are newly arrived in Miami settle in Little Havana before moving elsewhere.

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Miami has several means of transportation for getting people and goods to and from the city,

including Miami International Airport and the Port

of Miami Visitors to Miami include tourists, business

travelers, and students, many of whom fly into the

city Some students come to the Miami area as

long-term visitors to attend college or university Although

the Port of Miami is known as the Cruise Capital

of the World, it also ships goods around the world

to places such as Hong Kong, Spain, Brazil, and

the Caribbean The port provides more than ninety

thousand jobs in the Miami-Dade County area

Many resources in rural areas around Miami also provide jobs The rich soil and warm climate provide

excellent growing conditions for crops such as citrus

and tropical fruits Limestone and other materials

are mined Development, however, is causing the

disappearance of some of the natural features

that once were common in Miami-Dade County

Hammocks were once common as far north as

Cape Canaveral, but now only small patches

remain in parts of the southern Atlantic Coastal

Plain Large portions of the Everglades have been

drained for farmland

15

Undeveloped rural areas are important both to the health of the economy and the environment Many tourists visit southern Florida to see the wildlife in Everglades National Park The park has numerous plant communities, including mangrove and cypress swamps, hammocks, and saw grass prairies Saw grass is a tall grasslike plant with sharp, jagged edges The Everglades are home to many plants, birds, and endangered species such as the West Indian manatee Care must be taken to preserve the varied resources of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, because it is thanks to these resources that the region

is as popular and diverse as it is today

The American crocodile is an endangered species.

Alligators and Crocodiles

The Everglades is the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators live side by side The American crocodile has a longer, narrower snout than an alligator, and the lower teeth are visible even when its mouth is closed.

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Glossary

barrier island a long island that helps protect

the mainland from pounding waves

climate the weather pattern of an area over a

long period of time

hammock a group of trees growing on a small,

raised mound of land

limestone rock formed from a mineral in

water or from shells and bones of certain sea animals

plain a large area of fairly low, flat land

resource a material that people use to meet

their needs

rural having to do with the countryside

sea level the same height as the ocean

urban having to do with cities