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Orlando Facts & Worksheets

Orlando is a city in the state of Florida. Located in Central Florida, Orlando is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Orlando metropolitan area.

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Orlando is a city in the state of Florida. Located in Central Florida, Orlando is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Orlando metropolitan area. It is Florida’s fourth largest city. The city is vibrant with beautiful parks and many lakes. It is nicknamed “The City Beautiful,” “O-Town,” and “Theme Park Capital”.

See the fact file below for more information on the Orlando or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Orlando worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

  • Orlando consists mostly of wetlands such as lakes and swamps.
  • Hundreds of lakes are found in Orlando with Lake Apopka as the largest one.
  • Because bedrock in Central Florida is porous, Orlando is prone to developing sinkholes.
  • Lake Eola in Orlando is actually a result of a huge sinkhole and is 80 feet deep.
  • Orlando has 115 neighborhoods.
  • Climate-wise, Orlando is located in a humid subtropical zone.
  • Two major seasons occur annually: hot season (October to April) and rainy season (May to September).
  • Orlando is also at a considerable risk of experiencing hurricanes.

HISTORY

  • There is no actual record about the origins of Orlando’s name.
  • It is believed that it was first called Jernigan which was the name of its first permanent settler.
  • There are also a few theories of how the city got its name: some say it was the name of a soldier who died in the area during the Second Seminole War, some say it was named after the character in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
  • Orlando’s citrus industry used to be so big that it became the main citrus hub of Florida until the farmers started moving their citrus crops and produce south.
  • In the 1950s, greater Orlando produced 40 percent of Florida’s oranges and by 1990, that number went down to 6 percent.
  • The fountain at Lake Eola – the Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain- is Orlando’s iconic symbol which was finished in 1957 and now represents the stories and adventures awaiting people at Orlando.
  • In 2009, lightning struck and damaged the fountain.
  • In 2011, the fountain was reconstructed and rededicated at a $1.6 million cost.

HIGHLIGHTS & LANDMARKS

  • Orlando has more than a hundred parks and over 20 community centers where social and sports programs are hosted.
  • The city has a public skate park for skate hobbyists, enthusiasts, and professionals.
  • Lake Eola is the perfect place to see swans: there are five different breeds of swan present in the lake, namely black neck, whooper, royal mute, trumpeter, and Australian black.
  • The Orlando Citrus Bowl is where Florida orange juice is made.
  • Colonial Drive in Orlando is the first highway in Central Florida.
  • In 1889, the Church Street Station was built and was also known as the Old Orlando Railroad Depot.
  • The Railroad Depot is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • In downtown Orlando, the oldest remaining structures stand: Rogers Building and the Railroad Depot.
  • Central Florida Research Park in Orlando is ranked the seventh largest research park in the US and is a major hub of the country’s military simulation programs.
  • Orlando has an 8-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty near Lake Ivanhoe.

THEME PARK CAPITAL

  • Orlando is home to many theme parks and water parks, such as Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Gatorland, Universal Studios, Epcot, and so much more.
  • In 2015, 66 million people visited Orlando, making the city the top visited destination in the US.
  • In 1965, Walt Disney announced plans to open Disney World in Orlando, which was a critical point in the city’s economy.
  • It was said that Walt Disney chose Orlando because, as an inland city, it was less hurricane-prone than other cities like Miami and Tampa.
  • Walt Disney World had its grand opening in Orlando on October 1, 1971.
  • Gatorland was the first theme park to open in Orlando back in 1949.
  • It featured a 15-foot gator as its main attraction.
  • In 1990, Universal Studios opened with Nickelodeon, Back to the Future, The Bates Motel, E.T., and Ghostbusters attractions.
  • Since opening in 1999, Universal’s Islands of Adventure has ranked seventh among United States parks and eleventh worldwide when it welcomed around 8.1 million guests in 2013.
  • Water sports and activities are also popular in Orlando such as boating, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and jet skiing.

TRIVIA

  • Joseph Kittinger II, an Orlando resident, was the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a gas balloon in 1978.
  • The largest Mcdonald’s store is found in Orlando.
  • The NBA Team of Orlando is named Orlando Magic.
  • A contest was held in 1987 to pick the name of the city’s NBA team. The finalists were down to the “Heat,” the “Juice,” the “Magic,” and the “Tropics.”

Orlando Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Orlando across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Orlando worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Orlando which is a city in the state of Florida. Located in Central Florida, Orlando is the county seat of Orange County and the center of the Orlando metropolitan area. It is Florida’s fourth largest city. The city is vibrant with beautiful parks and many lakes. It is nicknamed “The City Beautiful,” “O-Town,” and “Theme Park Capital”.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Orlando Facts
  • Ask the Question
  • The City Beautiful
  • Theme Park Capital
  • Did You Know?
  • Label the Landmark
  • Dates That Matter
  • History of Disney World
  • Orlando Jingle
  • Suggested Seals
  • A Week in Orlando

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Link will appear as Orlando Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, May 16, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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