<P> Much of the state of Florida is situated on a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida . Spanning two time zones, it extends to the northwest into a panhandle along the northern Gulf of Mexico . It is bordered on the north by the states of Georgia and Alabama, and on the west, at the end of the panhandle, by Alabama . It is near The Bahamas and several Caribbean countries, particularly Cuba . Florida has 131 public airports, and more than 700 private airports, airstrips, heliports, and seaplane bases . Florida is one of the largest states east of the Mississippi River, and only Alaska and Michigan are larger in water area . </P> <P> Florida's extensive coastline made it a perceived target during World War II, so the government built airstrips throughout the state; today, approximately 400 airports are still in service . </P> <P> At 345 feet (105 m) above mean sea level, Britton Hill in northern Walton County is the highest point in Florida and the lowest highpoint of any U.S. state . Much of the state south of Orlando is low - lying and fairly level; however, some places, such as Clearwater, feature vistas that rise 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) above the water . Much of Central and North Florida, typically 25 miles (40 km) or more away from the coastline, features rolling hills with elevations ranging from 100 to 250 feet (30 to 76 m). The highest point in peninsular Florida, Sugarloaf Mountain, is a 312 - foot (95 m) peak in Lake County . Much of Florida has an elevation of less than 12 feet (3.7 m), including many populated areas such as Miami which are located on the coast . Miami and other parts of south Florida are the most vulnerable regions in the world to rising sea levels associated with climate change . Due to the vast amounts of limestone bedrock that Florida sits above, water is allowed to move relatively freely beneath dry land and to rise up to the surface . Water will also likely encroach from the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast, and up through the Everglades, endangering the plant biomass within its marsh communities . </P> <P> The state line begins in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling west, south, and north up the thalweg of the Saint Mary's River . At the origin of that river, it then follows a straight line nearly due west and slightly north, to the point where the confluence of the Flint River (from Georgia) and the Chattahoochee River (down the Alabama / Georgia line) used to form Florida's Apalachicola River . (Since Woodruff Dam was built, this point has been under Lake Seminole .) The border with Georgia continues north through the lake for a short distance up the former thalweg of the Chattahoochee, then with Alabama runs due west along 31 ° N to the Perdido River, then south along its thalweg to the Gulf via Perdido Bay . Much of the state is at or near sea level . </P>

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