The Landscape of Florida
Florida’s landscape is relentlessly low-lying, the
highest point in the state being just 345 ft (105 m) above sea level. The rare,
rolling hills of the Panhandle provide some of the loveliest countryside in the
state, whose flat peninsula is otherwise dominated by grassland and swamp,
punctuated by forests and thousands of lakes.
Great swathes of the natural landscape have had to surrender
to the onslaught of urban development and agriculture – second only to tourism
as the state’s main economic resource. However, you can still find areas that
are surprisingly wild and unpopulated.
FLORIDA’S SINKHOLES
Many of Florida’s 30,000 lakes and ponds started out as sinkholes,
or “sinks.” This curious phenomenon, which occurs mainly in northern Florida,
is a result of the natural erosion of the limestone that forms the bedrock of
much of the state. Most sinkholes form gradually, as the soil sinks slowly into
a depression. Others appear more dramatically, often after heavy rain, when an
underground cavern collapses beneath the weight of the ground above. The largest
recorded sinkhole occurred in Winter Park in 1981. It swallowed six cars and a
house, and formed a crater
more than 300 ft (90 m) in diameter. There is no sure way
to predict sinkhole development, and many homeowners take out sinkhole
insurance.
Wildlife and Natural Habitats
Florida’s great variety of habitats and wildlife is due
in part to the meeting of temperate north Florida with the subtropical south.
Other factors include the state’s humidity, sandy soils, low elevation, and
proximity to the water. Some plants and animals can live in several habitats,
while others can survive only in one. The bird life in Florida is particularly
rich in winter, when migratory birds arrive from the colder northern states. Wildlife
and Natural Habitats
FRESHWATER SWAMPS
Many swamps have been drained to make way for agriculture
or development, but they are
still found all over Florida. They are often dominated by
cypress trees, which are well suited
to the watery conditions, requiring little soil to grow.
The dwarf cypress is the most common species, the larger giant or bald cypress
tree being rare these days.
HARDWOOD FORESTS
These are among the most verdant habitats in the state.
Hardwood-dominated forests are
called “hammocks.” Unlike the tropical hard-wood hammocks
of southern Florida, those
in the north are dominated by the splendid live oak tree,
interspersed with other species such as
hickory and magnolia.
Hurricanes in Florida
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with wind speeds of at
least 74 mph (119 km/h). One in ten of the hurricanes to occur in the North Atlantic
hits Florida – which means an average of one of these big storms every two
years.
The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but
the greatest threat is from August to October. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Scale, which measures the winds and ocean flooding expected, categorizes hurricanes
from one to five; category five is the worst, with winds of over 155 mph (249
km/h). Hurricane names come from a recognized alphabetical list of names, which
rotates every six years. Originally, only women’s names were used, but since
1979 men’s and women’s names have been alternated.
THE LIFE OF A HURRICANE
The development of a hurricane is influenced by several
factors – primarily heat and wind. First the sun must warm the ocean’s surface
enough for water to evaporate. This rises and condenses into
Thunderclouds, which are sent spinning by the earth’s
rotation. The hurricane moves forward and can be tracked using satellite images
like this one. On hitting land, the storm loses power because it is cut off
from its source of energy – the warm ocean.
HURRICANE ANDREW
On August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew devastated South
Florida. It measured only
“4” on the Saffir-Simpson Scale (less than the 1935
hurricane that hit the Florida Keys), but it was the country’s costliest ever
natural disaster, causing $25 billion worth of damage.
Astonishingly, only 15 people died in Florida (and 23 in
the country as a whole) from the direct effects of Hurricane Andrew.
MONITORING A
HURRICANE
Using satellites, computer models, and radar, the
National Hurricane Center in Miami can detect a
hurricane long before it reaches Florida. The most
detailed information, however, is provided by
pilots known as Hurricane Hunters, who fly in and out of the
hurricane gathering data.
The damage from a
hurricane is greatly reduced by preparedness: television and radio bulletins
keep the public informed, and everyone is encouraged to
plan the route of the storm on special
hurricane tracking maps.
Shipwrecks and Salvage
The waters off Florida are littered with thousands of shipwrecks
that have accumulated over hundreds of years. Many sank during storms at sea,
while others were tossed onto the reefs off the Keys. The salvaged wrecks
picked out on the map are those that have had a large amount of their cargo
recovered. Spain’s treasure ships are the greatest prize among salvagers, just
as they were once the favored target of pirates. In museums all over Florida
everyday objects and treasure offer an insight into the lives and riches of the
Spanish.
FLORIDA’S VERNACULAR STYLE
The early pioneers of the 1800s built houses whose design
was dictated mainly by the climate and the location: the most identifiable
common elements are the devices to maximize natural ventilation. Local
materials, usually wood, were used. Original “Cracker” homes, so named after
the people who built and lived in them , don’t survive in great numbers, but
the vernacular style
has influenced Florida’s architecture ever since.
THE GILDED AGE
From the 1880s on, the railroads and tourism brought new
wealth and ideas from outside the state. The love affair with Mediterranean Revivalism
began and can be seen in Flagler’s brick hotels in St.
Augustine. Wood was still the favored material, though,
and was used more decoratively – most famously in Key West. Other concentrations
of Victorian houses are found in Fernandina Beach and Mount Dora.
THE FANTASY OF THE BOOM YEARS
The most notable buildings of the period 1920–50 set out
to inspire romantic images of faraway places. Each new development had a theme,
spawning islands of architectural styles from Moorish to Art Deco – the latter in
Miami’s South Beach district. Mediterranean Revivalism dominated, however. Its
chief exponents were Addison Mizner in Palm Beach and George Merrick in Coral
Gables.
POSTWAR ARCHITECTURE
Many of Florida’s most striking modern buildings are either
shopping malls or public buildings, such as theaters or sports stadiums, which
are often as impressive for their scale as for their design. More of a
curiosity are the new towns of Seaside and Disney’s Celebration (see p154),
which have arisen out of nostalgia for small-town America and as a reaction to
the impersonal nature of the modern city.
THE HIGHWAY
In the 20th century, the flood of visitors and settlers
speeding south along Florida’s high- ways has spawned buildings unique to the road.
Alongside the drive-in banks and restaurants are buildings shaped like ice-cream
cones or alligators – designed to catch the eye of the motorist driving past at
speed. Such outlandishness, aided too by colorful neon signs, breaks up the
monotonous strips of motels and fast food outlets.
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