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| St. Petersburg | A resort city located in Central Florida. It is situated on Tampa Bay. |
| environment | The surroundings in which people, animals, and plants live. |
| climate | The type of weather that an area usually has over a long period of time. |
| temperature | The measure of how hot or cold something is. The average in Florida is 73 degrees F. |
| precipitation | Any form of water that falls to the earth, such as rain, sleet, hail, or snow |
| growing season | The time of the year during which it is warm enough for crops to grow. |
| tropical climate | A climate in which temperatures are usually very warm and do not change much throughout the year. |
| elevation | The height of a place above the level of the sea. |
| citrus crop | Fruit grown in warm areas such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes. |
| hurricane | A violent storm with strong winds (over 74 miles per hour) and heavy rain. |
| decision | A choice. |
| decision making steps | 1) State your goal, 2) Identify some actions you could take to reach the goal, 3) Identify what might happen as a result of each action, and 4) Choose the action that is most likely to help you reach your goal. |
| natural resource | Something found in nature that is useful to people. |
| agriculture | Farming, or the business of raising crops and farm animals. |
| recreation | The way in which people relax and enjoy themselves. |
| Florida Aquifer | The layer of limestone (soft rock that absorbs rainfall like a sponge) underneath Florida's soil. |
| drought | A period of time when little or no rain falls. |
| conservation | The saving of natural resources. |
| sinkhole | A large hole in the ground caused by underground water levels getting too low. |
| mineral | A natural substance found in the earth. |
| Lake Okeechobee | The largest lake in the southeastern part of the United States. It covers 730 square miles. |
| Suwannee River | A river that flows through southeastern Georgia and northern Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. |
| Winter Park | A city in Central Florida that is the location of a huge sinkhole. |
| wetlands | Low, flat lands that are covered with water during most of the year. For example, the two major one is Florida are the Everglades and the Okeefenokee Swamp. |
| canal | A waterway for ships that is dug across land. They are built to dry the land so that people could use it to farm and build on. Animals and plants that depend on the water die. |
| pollution | Something that makes the air, land, and water dirty. |
| Okeefenokee Swamp | A major wetland area that is located on the border between Florida and Georgia. |
| Everglades | A major wetland area that covers much of the land of Southern Florida. This swampy area is home to hundreds of different kinds of plants and animals. |
| Marjory Stoneman Douglas | A conservationist and the author of The Everglades: River of Grass, a book about the importance of the Florida Everglades. |
| Darlene Rodriguez | A student who worked to preserve the Florida Everglades. |
| Factors Affecting Climate | 1) Latitude, 2) Elevation, and 3) Distance from the ocean. |
| Florida's Natural Resources | Climate, water, minerals, plants, and animals. |
| Florida's Minerals | 1) Phosphate - used to make fertilizer, glass, and pottery, 2) Petroleum (oil), and 3) Titanium - used to make steel. Florida is the leading mining state in the southeast. |
| mining | The process of removing minerals from the earth so that people can use them. |
