Florida is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico; Alabama to the northwest; Georgia to the north; the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean to the east; and the Straits of Florida and Cuba to the south. It is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Spanning 65,758 square miles (170,310 km2), Florida ranks 22nd in area among the 50 states, and with a population of over 21 million, it is the third-most populous. Florida's largest metro area is the Miami metropolitan area, anchored by the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, though its single largest city proper is Jacksonville. Florida's other large population centers include Tampa Bay, Orlando, Cape Coral, and the state capital of Tallahassee.
It was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845. Florida was the principal location of the Seminole Wars (1816–1858), the longest and most extensive of the Indian Wars in U.S. history.