4 10 along the coast of florida

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 Cuban Americans
have settled is called Little Havana.

Genre

Nonfiction

Comprehension Skill

Main Idea
and Details

Text Features

• Maps
• Chart
• Captions

Scott Foresman Social Studies

ISBN 0-328-14870-9

ì<(sk$m)=beihah< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U


In this book you will read about three cities in
Florida’s Atlantic Coastal Plain. You will also
read about the resources that are in and near
these cities. Many people come to Florida
because of its beauty, climate, and water.

Write to It!
If you could visit one of the places you read
about in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which
one would you choose? Write a paragraph
that states your choice and that gives at least
three reasons for it.

Vocabulary
plain
climate
rural

Write your paragraph on a separate
sheet of paper.

urban
resource
sea level
limestone
barrier island
hammock

endangered

Maps
MapQuest, Inc.
Photographs
Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply
regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.
Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.
Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)

ISBN: 0-328-14870-9
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected
by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited
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.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

Opener: ©Jeff Foott/Alamy Images
3 ©Jean Higgins/Unicorn Stock Photos
5 ©Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis
Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New York
6 ©Morton Beebe/Corbis
7 ©Kenneth McCray/SuperStock
Sales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, Illinois
8 ©NASA
Coppell, Texas • Sacramento, California • Mesa, Arizona
10 ©Steve Vidler/SuperStock

11 ©Jeff Greenberg/Alamy Images
12 ©Morton Beebe/Corbis
13 ©Jeff Greenberg/The Image Works, Inc.
14 ©Tom Salyer
15 ©Jeff Foott/Alamy Images


The Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic Coastal Plain is on Florida’s east
coast. It is a plain, so it is fairly low and flat
land. Some of Florida’s largest cities are in this
region.
The Atlantic Coastal Plain has a warm and mild
climate. The northern part of the plain has cooler
winters than the southern part.
'%/2')!

TTON(ILL

Mining is done throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

3T!UGUSTINE

!4,!.4)#
/#%!.

.

'ULFOF-EXICO
,AKE

/KEECHOBEE

+EY

ERG

LADE

S

!TLANTIC#OASTAL
0LAIN

Farmers grow crops and raise farm animals
in some areas. People mine for minerals in other
areas. Some areas are parks where wild plants and
animals live. Turn the page to learn about some of
the cities and resources along the Atlantic Coastal
Plain.






-ILES

& L O RI D A

+ILOMETERS

+ E YS

RID



A

%V

#ITY

3T

S
R A IT

OF

&L

O

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

2

3

In and Around
St. Augustine
St. Augustine is a small city in St. Johns County
in northeastern Florida. The city is only five feet
above sea level.
People have come to St. Augustine for different
reasons. The first settlers were Native Americans.
Then Spain claimed Florida in 1513. A Spanish
explorer founded St. Augustine in 1565. St.
Augustine is the oldest settlement in the United
States founded by Europeans that has always
been lived in.
ALABAMA

GEORGIA

Pensacola

Tallahassee

Panama
City

Gainesville

N
0

50

100 Miles

Gulf of
Mexico
0

50

100 Kilometers

ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Jacksonville
St. Augustine

John F. Kennedy
Space
Center
Cape
Orlando
Canaveral
Tampa
Melbourne

Key
Capital city

Ft. Myers

Other city

Lake
Okeechobee
Miami

Place of
interest
0
0

100
100

200 Miles

F l o ri

da

Ke

ys

Tourists like to visit houses that are from the time when
St. Augustine was a Spanish colony.

In time St. Augustine grew into a city. By the
1880s, many ill people came to St. Augustine
during the winters to get well. The warm,

dry climate was good for their health. Soon
businesspeople built hotels and turned St.
Augustine into a resort for the wealthy.
About six million people visit St. Augustine each
year to enjoy its historic sites, to golf, or to relax
at nearby beaches and parks.

200 Kilometers

This map shows some cities in Florida.

4

5


The area’s mild climate and plentiful resources
attract businesses. Coquina (coh-KEE-nah) is a type
of limestone found along the Atlantic coast from
St. Augustine to Palm Beach. This material is often
used for building. Many buildings in St. Augustine
were built from coquina, including a fort called
the Castillo de San Marcos (Cass-TEE-yo day san
MAR-cos).

Agriculture is an important business in St. Johns County.

The mild climate of St. Johns County makes
the region ideal for farming. Agriculture, or
the growing of crops for food, is an important

business in some areas. Some farmers grow
vegetables such as potatoes, cabbage, broccoli,
and eggplant. Other farmers raise beef cattle.

6

Spanish settlers built the Castillo de San Marcos in the late
1600s to protect St. Augustine. Today, people tour the fort.

7


Cape Canaveral and
Surrounding Areas
Cape Canaveral has been a city only since the
early 1960s. Cape Canaveral is about halfway
between Jacksonville and Miami. Port Canaveral
and the John F. Kennedy Space Center are just
north of Cape Canaveral.

Goods are shipped from Port Canaveral to ports in the
United States and other countries.

Port Canaveral is an important port for cruise
ships and cargo ships. Some of the goods that
pass through the port are cement, steel, minerals,
petroleum, lumber, fresh fruits and vegetables,
juice, and frozen foods.

8

9


The Cape Canaveral area has many other
resources. People enjoy its beaches. The nearby
Canaveral National Seashore is on a barrier
island that protects the mainland from ocean
waves. Migrating birds and other animals live
at the Canaveral National Seashore. Behind the
barrier island lies Mosquito Lagoon. Its shallow
waters are valuable for fishing.

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is near Cape Canaveral.

Canaveral National Seashore has twenty-four miles of beach.

The United States government built the
John F. Kennedy Space Center by Cape
Canaveral. A mild climate meant that the space
center could operate year-round. It was also a
good location to launch all space missions over
the ocean.

10

11


Many Cubans came to the United States in

the 1960s. Many of them settled in the Miami
neighborhood now known as Little Havana.
They opened shops, parks, and restaurants.
Little Havana became the center of Miami’s
Cuban American community.

Little Havana is a Cuban neighborhood in Miami.

Little Haiti is a Haitian neighborhood in Miami. Shops sell
foods and other goods that are part of traditional Haitian life.

In and Around Miami
Miami is Florida’s second largest city. Its
population is more than 360,000.
Miami is in southern Florida and has a tropical
climate. Summers are wet and warm, or hot.
Winters are warm and frost is rare.
People from all over the world live in Miami.
Many of Miami’s neighborhoods reflect the
cultures of the people who live there.

12

13


The Port of Miami provides more than ninety
thousand jobs. The port ships goods around the
world.
Many resources in areas around Miami also

provide jobs. Citrus fruits grow well in the rich
soil and warm climate. However, development,
or building on unsettled land, is causing many
habitats to disappear.

Much of the Everglades has been drained for farms.

14

Crocodiles make their home in the Everglades.

Undeveloped areas are important to Florida’s
economy and environment. Many people come to
southern Florida to visit parks, such as Everglades
National Park. The park has many plant
communities, including mangrove and cypress
swamps. The Everglades are home to many
plants, birds, and animals. People must take care
to preserve the varied resources of the Atlantic
Coastal Plain.

15


In this book you will read about three cities in
Florida’s Atlantic Coastal Plain. You will also
read
about the resources that are in and near
Glossary
these

cities.
Many
people
come
Florida
barrier
island
a long
island
thattohelps
because
its mainland
beauty, climate,
and water.
protectofthe
from pounding
waves

Write to It!
If you could visit one of the places you read
about in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which
one would you choose? Write a paragraph
that states your choice and that gives at least
three reasons for it.

climate the weather pattern of an area over a
long period ofVocabulary
time
plain
limestone rock formed

from a mineral in
water or from shells
and bones of certain
climate
sea animals
rural
plain a large area of fairly low, flat land
urban
resource a material that people use to meet
resource
their needs
sea level
sea level the same height as the ocean
limestone

Write your paragraph on a separate
sheet of paper.

barrier island
hammock
endangered

Maps
MapQuest, Inc.
Photographs
Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply
regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.
Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.
Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)

ISBN: 0-328-14870-9
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected
by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited
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.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

16

Opener: ©Jeff Foott/Alamy Images
3 ©Jean Higgins/Unicorn Stock Photos
5 ©Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis
6 ©Morton Beebe/Corbis
7 ©Kenneth McCray/SuperStock
8 ©NASA
10 ©Steve Vidler/SuperStock
11 ©Jeff Greenberg/Alamy Images
12 ©Morton Beebe/Corbis
13 ©Jeff Greenberg/The Image Works, Inc.
14 ©Tom Salyer
15 ©Jeff Foott/Alamy Images