10 Geography Facts About Florida

10 Geography Facts About Florida Capital: Tallahassee Population: 18,537,969 (July 2009 estimate) Largest Cities: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Hialeah, and Orlando Area: 53,927 square miles (139,671 sq km) Highest Point: Britton Hill at 345 feet (105 m) Florida  is a state located in the southeastern United States. It is bordered by Alabama and Georgia to the north, while the rest of the state is a peninsula that is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the Strait of Florida to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Because of its warm subtropical climate, Florida is known as the sunshine state. Florida Geography Facts Florida is a popular tourist destination for its many beaches, wildlife in areas like the Everglades, large cities such as Miami, and theme parks like Walt Disney World. Discover 10 more geography facts about Florida. 1. Many Native Americans Lived Here Florida was first inhabited by a number of different Native American tribes thousands of years prior to any European exploration of the region. The largest known tribes in Florida were the Seminole, Apalachee, Ais, Calusa, Timucua, and Tocabago. 2. It Was Discovered in 1513 On April 2, 1513, Juan Ponce de Leà ³n was one of the first Europeans to discover Florida. He named it as the Spanish term for flowered land. Following Ponce de Leà ³ns discovery of Florida, both the Spanish and the French began to build settlements in the region. In 1559, Spanish Pensacola was established as the first permanent European settlement in what would become the United States. 3. Its the 27th State Florida officially entered the U.S. on March 3, 1845, as the 27th state. As the state grew, settlers began to force out the Seminole tribe. This resulted in the Third Seminole War, which lasted from 1855 to 1858 and resulted in most of the tribe being moved to other states (such as Oklahoma and Mississippi). 4. Tourism Drives the Economy Floridas economy is based mainly on services related to tourism, financial services, trade, transportation, public utilities, manufacturing, and construction. Tourism is the largest sector of Floridas economy. 5. The State Relies on Fishing Fishing is also a large industry in Florida. In 2009, the state made $6 billion and employed 60,000 Floridians. A large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 threatened both the fishing and tourism industries in the state. 6. Its Low-Lying Most of Floridas land area is built on a large peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Because Florida is surrounded by water, much of it is low-lying and flat. Its highest point, Britton Hill, is only 345 feet (105 m) above sea level. This makes it the lowest high point of any U.S. state. Northern Florida has a more varied topography, with gently rolling hills. However, it also has relatively low elevations. 7. It Rains Year-Round Floridas climate is highly affected by its maritime location as well as its southern U.S. latitude. The northern parts of the state have a climate thats considered humid subtropical, while the southern portions (including the Florida Keys) are tropical. Jacksonville, in northern Florida, has an average January low temperature of 45.6 degrees F (7.5 degrees C) and a July high of 89.3 degrees F (32 degrees C). Miami, on the other hand, has a January low of 59 degrees F (15 degrees C) and a July high of 76 degrees F (24 degrees C). Rain is common year-round in Florida. The state is also prone to hurricanes. 8. It Has Rich Biodiversity Wetlands like the Everglades are common throughout Florida and as a result, the state is rich in biodiversity. It is home to many endangered species and marine mammals like the bottlenose dolphin and the manatee, reptiles like the alligator and sea turtles, large land mammals like the Florida panther, as well as a  plethora of birds, plants, and insects. Many species also breed in Florida due to its mild climate and warm waters. 9. The People Are Diverse, Too Florida has the fourth highest population of any state in the U.S. and it is one of the countrys fastest growing. A large portion of Floridas population is considered Hispanic, but the majority of the state is Caucasian. South Florida also has significant populations of people from Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica. Additionally, Florida is known for its large retirement communities. 10. It Has Many Higher Education Options In addition to its biodiversity, large cities, and famous theme parks, Florida is also known for its well-developed university system. There are a number of large public universities in the state, such as Florida State University and the University of Florida, as well as many large private universities and community colleges. Source: Unknown. Florida. Infoplease, 2018.

Understand the Philosophical Theories of Nominalism and Realism

Understand the Philosophical Theories of Nominalism and Realism Nominalism and realism are the two most distinguished positions in western metaphysics dealing with the fundamental structure of reality. According to realists, all entities can be grouped into two categories: particulars and universals. Nominalists instead argue that there are only particulars.   How Do Realists Understand Reality? Realists postulate the existence of two kinds of entities, particulars, and universals. Particulars resemble each other because they share universals; for example, each particular dog has four legs, can bark, and has a tail.  Universals can also resemble each other by sharing other universals; for example, wisdom and generosity resemble each other in that they are both virtues.  Plato and Aristotle were among the most famous realists. The intuitive plausibility of realism is evident. Realism allows us to take seriously the subject-predicate structure of discourse through which we represent the world. When we say that Socrates is wise it is because there are both Socrates (the particular) and wisdom (the universal) and the particular exemplifies the universal. Realism also can explain the use we often make of abstract reference. Sometimes qualities are subjects of our discourse, as when we  say that wisdom is a virtue or that red is a color. The realist can interpret these discourses as asserting that there is a universal (wisdom; red) that exemplifies another universal (virtue; color). How Do Nominalists Understand Reality? Nominalists offer a radical definition of reality: there are no universals, only particulars. The basic idea is that the world is made exclusively from particulars and the universals are of our own making. They stem from our representational system (the way we think about the world) or from our language (the way we speak of the world). Because of this, nominalism is clearly tied in a close manner also to epistemology  (the study of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion). If there are only particulars, then there is no virtue, apples, or genders. There are, instead, human conventions that tend to group objects or ideas into categories. Virtue exists only because we say it does: not because there is a universal abstraction of virtue. Apples only exist as a particular type of fruit because we as humans have categorized a group of particular fruits in a particular way. Maleness and femaleness, as well, exist only in human thought and language. The most distinguished nominalists include Medieval philosophers William of Ockham (1288-1348) and John Buridan (1300-1358) as well as contemporary philosopher Willard van Orman Quine. Problems for Nominalism and Realism The debate between supporters of those two opposed camps spurred some of the most puzzling problems in metaphysics, such as the puzzle of the ship of Theseus, the puzzle of the 1001 cats, and the so-called problem of exemplification (that is, the problem of how particulars and universals can be related to each other).   Its puzzles like these which render the debate regarding the fundamental categories of metaphysics so challenging and fascinating.

Fire Engineering Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9250 words

Fire Engineering - Literature review Example The study explores the role of these consultants in ensuring building design, development and sustenance for adherence to fire safety to understand the extent to which fire safety engineering solutions are important in fire engineering today. As buildings codes exist, so do the need for inspection for compliance and for adherence to fire safety which is usually overlooked by concerned administration or engineers in the respective departments. A building is a complex system with fire safety design being a part or inter-related sub-system of this complex system design. Two parameters: fire load density FLD (in MJm–2) and occupant load factor OLF are key in assessment of local fire codes in Hong Kong. A survey of private buildings in Hong Kong in February 1998 revealed that just 11 percent of the buildings were in satisfactory conditions in terms of fire safety. The survey was conducted by Fire Services Department (FSD) for provision and compliance with fire service installations and equipment (FSI) for fire prevention, detection and protection in the buildings. Incidents of fire in domestic and commercial buildings and rail and road tunnels have attracted criticism from the public as well as from other quarters and there have been constant changes in the building ordinance for fire safety to protect life and property. A framework for fire safety exists, based on which it is learnt that various countries including Hong Kong and Australia have developed a regulatory system for fire safety in buildings. The framework provides goals, objectives, performance requirements and means of compliance for building fire safety (Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings, 2011). Factors determining fire safety in buildings, codes of practice for fire safety, design and performance of fire safety framework, compliance issues by segment, health and safety of building occupants and the insights into fire fighting industry in general in Hong Kong will be covered in this chapter. As buildings codes exist, so do the need for inspection for compliance and for adherence to fire safety which is usually overlooked by concerned administration or engineers in the respective departments. The role of these consultants in ensuring building design, development and sustenance for adherence to fire safety will also be explored to understand the extent to which fire safety engineering solutions are important in fire engineering today. Building occupancy Considering that Asian cities are becoming more urban with most of the population residing in high-rise buildings can be useful in studying the fire engineering solutions being employed to protect the life of the occupants and also the property. A study of the differences in structures shows that compartmentalized and non-compartmentalized structures with isomorphic and non-isomorphic floor plans can be assessed for fire safety (Livesay and Donegan, 2003, p 64.1) using different models like flame spread model, hea t transfer model, etc. (Bong, 2000). Hong Kong has a building control mechanism as shown in Figure 1 which includes design for fire safety mechanism as per codes of practice laid by two different legislative bodies, Buildings Ordinance (BO) and the Fire Services Ordinance (FSO), the compliance for which is overlooked by an Authorized Person (AP) acting as the project co-ordinator. The AP ensures that the building design, construction and management are in compliance with the BO in terms of fire engineering approach and performance (Lo et al, 2007, pp 133,134). Figure 1: Building control mechanism in Hong Kong. Source: (Lo et al, 2007, p 134). Building fire safety control mechanism takes into account the route complexity owing to the topological network of rooms and the passages that connect the rooms and floors to the exit space. Information theory and entropy are studied to formulate a mathematical model in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to evaluate the complexity of egress (or means of escape) based on route complexity. Building type comparisons are carried out by considering building plans as networks with the habitable compartments considered as the nodes of the network while the defined links between nodes or the connected passages between rooms and floors are considered as arcs or information steps. Using this information and the behaviour of fire using the different models, the egress

Volcanic Eruptions versus Human Civilizations 2mya Essay

Volcanic Eruptions versus Human Civilizations 2mya - Essay Example Besides, it will also assess the connection between volcanic activity and population distribution in the modern world and the ancient world (Small and Naumann, 2001, p. 32). The structure of the ancient civilizations shall also be another element that this paper will address as it endeavors to unearth how different civilizations functioned. Case study of such civilizations shall come from China, Asia, Africa and India. Additionally, this paper will also analyze the evolution of hominid and their association with the selected civilizations that this paper shall analyze, evaluate and discuss (Sparks et al., 2005, p. 41). Introduction There are volcanic landscapes all over the world that one may observe that at one time in history has tremendous effects on human culture and civilization. Perhaps the most prominent eruption in the recent past was the Toba eruption (Machida and Sugiyama, 2002, p. 49). This was the last massive volcanic eruption in history for the last few hundred thousand years ago. That is as far as the Mediterranean basin is an item of analysis. Many historians assert that this eruption drew in large populations after the eruption, contrary to popular beliefs that populations would normally move away from disaster zones (Lowe, 2002, p. 47). That may have been a historic coincidence. This does not wash away other facts that volcanic eruptions may act to disperse populations (Rampino and Ambrose, 2000, p. 32). Other civilizations have also been victims of volcanic activity. In fact, some civilizations have even disappeared in the aftermath of immense volcanic activity. Some historic examples include empires that were hardest hit during the Cycladic and Minoan that suffered massive disasters during the 1628 B.C mammoth eruptions. To say generalize that volcanic activity has a negative effect on civilization would not suffice an informed assessment (Rampino, 2002, p. 33). Rather, at times in history, there were occasions when effects of volcanic activ ity were profound on civilizations. Sometimes civilizations fell or declined owing to volcanic activities (Torrence and Grattan, 2002, p. 14). Nevertheless, such is just like the rise and wane of kingdoms. It happens that sometimes there are factors that promote the growth of civilizations or sometimes factors may set in that disfavor growth of civilizations. There could be a probability of coincidences. As such, there may be close relationships between such success factors, volcanic activity and the emergence of a civilization (Sharma, 2004, p. 29). However, volcanic activity remains the overriding factor given that it has a record that one may relate closely with the emergence of civilizations. Some other factors about volcanic activities such as shaping the landscape have a connection with early civilizations. This is because landscapes influence human settlements and civilizations emerged out from organized settlements. Another aspect about volcanic landscape is that nature of e conomic life and cultures that arise have some complex similarities across the world. This is so intricate in such that one may conclude that there is something about volcanic landscapes and cultures. Probably one may explain the issue of related economic activities to the fact that the mountains presented modified climate that was a gift to economic life (Robock, 2000, p. 42). Most communities that inhabited such volcanic areas responded to the uniqueness of their surrounding by

The Circularity of Life in Tess of the DUrbervilles :: Tess of the DUrbervilles

The Circularity of Life in Tess of the D'Urbervilles  Ã‚   Thesis: Hardy is concerned with the natural cycles of the world, and the disruption caused by convention, which usurps nature's role. He combats convention with the voice of the individual and the continuing circularity of nature. Phase the First: The Circles of Life The circularity of life is a major theme of the novel. Hardy treats it as the natural order of things. The structure of the novel reflects this reigning image of the circle at several levels. First, the use of seasons to denote the passage of time implies circularity rather than a linear world-view. Years are shown as repetitions with variations rather than as new creations. Tess herself views time in this way, as she reflects on the various recurring dates which mark events in her life. "She philosophically noted dates as they came past in the revolution of the year; the disastrous night of her undoing at Trantidge with its dark background of the Chase; also the dates of the baby's birth and death; also her own birthday; and every other day individualized by incidents in which she had taken some share. She suddenly thought one afternoon... that there was yet another date, of greater importance to her than those; that of her own death" (149). In the novel, the past and the future are merely points on the cycle which nature designs. Reveals the destructive aspect of this realization to Angel when she declares her disinclination to study history which will only tell that she is "one of a long row only... just like thousands' and thousands'" (182). Secondly, the plot itself is not only circular, but contains a myriad of smaller circles within it. The main circle of the plot is from the discovery of the D'Urberville Tombs to Tess's death. Within this circle revolve others. The life and death of Sorrow is a small circle within the larger one. Alec D'Urberville's repentance and recantation form another. Clare's and Tess's physical journeys towards and away from and back again to each other represent more circles. Hardy's consistent use of these circles in the plot reinforces their importance to the theme. The diction of the novel seems designed to forcefully remind the reader of this theme. At the start of the novel Tess and her companions dance in a circle on the gr een; at it's end, she stops to rest at Stonehenge.

Contemporary poetry and Nature Essay

Technically, â€Å"Contemporary poetry† is written after the start of the 1920`s, especially poetry is connected with modern literary genres, such as modernism and post-modernism. Poetry often involves nature in its description. Though inspiration as a poet truly derives from within, nature can act as a tool to enhance imagination and devices used in our poetry. Poets have for ages seen nature as a reflection of the human experience. Poets in their writing usually use two devices to relate to nature: personification and analogy. Reading modern poems about nature provides a double joy of learning and poetic appreciation. Most modern poets who write about nature are knowledgeable about it. These poets study nature; they don’t merely romanticize it. And the more they study, the more they seem to discover its uniqueness and preciousness – at a very deep core. The types of relationships that human beings have with nature can be sorted out, though these categories often overlap in actual literature because our relationship with nature, like all human relationships, is complex and multi-faceted. But for the sake of analysis, we can look at these relationships between human beings and nature: Man as a part of nature Man apart from nature Man in conflict with nature Man and nature separate but coexistent Man and nature separate and adversarial Nature superior to humanity Nature subordinate to humanity Nature and humanity equals For example, the poem â€Å"Daffodils No More†, written by the contemporary ecopoet Gordon J.L. Ramel. This work is a serious parody of an earlier poem Daffodils written by the English poet William Wordsworth in 1804. In that poem, Wordsworth wrote of the beauty of wild daffodils and how they inspired him. He also mentioned seeing large numbers of this plant: â€Å"Ten thousand saw I at a glance, tossing their heads in sprightly dance.† In ‘Daffodils No More’, Gordon J.L. Ramel draws our attention to the fact that the number of wild daffodils in England has declined greatly since Wordsworth’s day. In addition, the abundance of many other organisms.

Illinois Institute of Technology Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores

Illinois Institute of Technology is a private research university with an acceptance rate of 58%. Founded in 1890, with a largely science and engineering focus at the undergraduate level, IIT is located three miles from Chicagos downtown business district. The Armour College of Engineering has the highest undergraduate enrollment of the eight colleges and schools that make up IIT. Considering applying to Illinois Institute of Technology? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Illinois Institute of Technology had an acceptance rate of 58%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 58 students were admitted, making IITs admissions process competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 4,957 Percent Admitted 58% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 21% SAT Scores and Requirements Illinois Institute of Technology requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 78% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 600 680 Math 620 720 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Illinois Institute of Technologys admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to IIT scored between 600 and 680, while 25% scored below 600 and 25% scored above 680. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 620 and 720, while 25% scored below 620 and 25% scored above 720. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1400 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Illinois Institute of Technology. Requirements While it is not required, Illinois Institute of Technology recommends that applicants submit the SAT writing section. Note that IIT participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements IIT requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 48% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 25 34 Math 26 31 Composite 26 31 This admissions data tells us that most of Illinois Institute of Technologys admitted students fall within the top 18% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to IIT received a composite ACT score between 26 and 31, while 25% scored above 31 and 25% scored below 26. Requirements Note that IIT participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all ACT test dates. While it is not required, Illinois Institute of Technology recommends that applicants submit the ACT writing section. GPA Illinois Institute of Technology does not provide data about admitted students high school GPAs. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Illinois Institute of Technology Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Illinois Institute of Technology. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Illinois Institute of Technology, which accepts just over half of applicants, has a competitive admissions pool with above average SAT/ACT scores. However, IIT has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong  application essay  and glowing  letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores and grades are outside of IITs average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represented accepted students. You can see that most successful applicants tend to have GPAs above a 3.0, SAT scores over 1150 (ERWM), and ACT composite scores of 23 or higher. Many of IITs admitted students had average grades in the A range with particular strengths in math and science. If You Like IIT, You May Also Like These Schools Purdue UniversityLoyola University of ChicagoCarnegie Mellon UniversityCornell UniversityRochester Institute of TechnologyHarvard UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Illinois - Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of ChicagoDePaul UniversityNorthwestern UniversityUniversity  of Michigan - Ann Arbor All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Illinois Institute of Technology Undergraduate Admissions Office.