Florida

Florida is a large peninsula located in the southeastern region of the North America; with the Gulf of Mexico on its west and the Atlantic Ocean on its east. It was discovered by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. By many legends and lore, Florida is best known as the supposed location of the Fountain of Youth, a legendary spring that grants oneself immortality.

Discovery
Florida was the first part of what is now the continental United States to be found by Europeans. The earliest known European explorer came with Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León, who spotted the peninsula on April 2, 1513. Ponce de León named the region La Florida ("flowery land") because it was then the Easter Season, known to the Spanish as Pascua Florida (roughly "Flowery Easter"), and because the vegetation was in bloom. Ponce de León may not have been the first European to reach Florida, however, because at least one indigenous tribesman whom he encountered in Florida spoke Spanish. From 1513 onward, the land became known as "La Florida", although after 1630 and throughout the 18th century, Tegesta (after the Tequesta tribe) was an alternate name of choice for the peninsula.

Fountain of Youth
According to legend, Florida was the supposed location of the Fountain of Youth. Unfortunately, Ponce de León was never able to find it and returned to Spain. Later, he organized another expedition to Florida in 1521, during which he was wounded with a poisoned arrow, and later die of the wound. After this, no other outsider has set foot in Florida for many years.

Second journey
Sometime after 1523, Florida was officially identified as the location of the Fountain of Youth on Sao Feng's navigational charts. After the war against piracy, many who wanted it, including Captain Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbossa and Blackbeard, set out to find this mystical artifact.

Behind the scenes

 * Florida is the location of Walt Disney World Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, opened on October 1, 1971 as the Magic Kingdom. The inclusion of the myth that the Fountain of Youth is located in Florida may be a reference to the theme park.
 * Florida appears in Tim Powers' novel, On Stranger Tides, which was used as the basis for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides