How many states does Florida border?

Florida's unique geography as a peninsula means that most of its boundary is water, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Its only land connections are to the north and northwest. The state's long northern boundary is shared entirely with Georgia, stretching from the Atlantic coast inland. To the northwest, the region known as the Florida Panhandle shares a shorter, straight-line border with its other neighbor, Alabama.

This two-state border is defined by some distinct features. The eastern portion of the Florida-Georgia line is naturally formed by the winding path of the St. Marys River before becoming a straight surveyed line further west. The panhandle's connection with Alabama is what prevents Florida from bordering any other states, like Mississippi, which lies just to the west of Alabama's own small Gulf coast.

While some states, like Tennessee and Missouri, are landlocked and border as many as eight other states, Florida's extensive coastline drastically limits its number of terrestrial neighbors (Review). Its peninsular shape, jutting out into the ocean, is the primary reason it only has two direct state-line connections, making its northern border a crucial link to the rest of the continental United States.