Florida boasts powdery white sands and emerald waters on its gulf shores in Pensacola, Tampa, St Petersburg, Miami and Key West and soft, wide beaches in Daytona and Jacksonville, stretching for miles along the Atlantic coastline to the east.

A year-round warm climate and an abundance of sunshine enhances Florida's popularity as a premier vacation destination. Leisure activities abound in every form of sport, from snorkeling and diving to fishing and surfing. Numerous golf and tennis resorts dot the landscape.

Walt Disney World is located in the Orlando / Kissimmee area at the heart of the state, with Universal Studios and Sea World close by. Wildlife, marine life and ecological habitats are given major focus with on-going preservation projects underway in a number of Federal and State Parks, ensuring the protection of flora and fauna indigenous to the area.

"Old Florida" is still in evidence in many places. Ancient moss-draped oaks, plantation houses and the charmingly unhurried pace of life of the "Old South" can still be found in historic towns such as Tallahassee, Gainesville and St Augustine.