A Look At The Demographics of East Florida
1. Distrito Capital de San Agustín,
San Augustin, 1,786,298 (2020)
2. Provincia del Rio San Juan Exterior,
Anastasia, 2,489,198 (2020)
3. Provincia de Santa Isabela,
Puerto Carolina, 2,029,203 (2020)
4. Provincia de San Juan Interior,
San Juan, 1,000,403 (2020)
5. Provincia de Santa Fe,
Santa Fe, 737,283 (2020)
6. Provincia de Leon,
Talasí, 734,329 (2020)
7. Provincia de Narvaez,
Hernando, 703,200 (2020)
8. Provincia de la Bahía Espíritu Santo,
Espíritu Santo, 2,028,006 (2020)
9. Provincia de Pascua,
Ciudad Florida, 1,738,787 (2020)
10. Provincia de Naranja,
Avíla, 689,328 (2020)
11. Provincia de la Costa Bella,
Nuevo Léon, 3,338,209 (2020)
12. Provincia de Palmera,
Bahía Palmas, 1,284,222 (2020)
13. Provincia de los Lagos,
Los Arroyos, 598,010 (2020)
-- TOTAL POPULATION: 19,156,476 (2020)
East Florida (
Spanish: La Florida Oriental) was traditionally one of the less populated realms in the UAR, although its status as the only majority-Spanish speaking member of the confederation consistently saw its population grow as consistent waves of immigrants from the Caribbean and then South America moved there. It's population really exploded in the 20th Century, however, as modernization efforts, industrialization, and mass draining of southern swampland opened parts of the realm previously rendered inhospitable. The 20th Century also saw East Florida begin a mass campaign to attract other members from the confederation as it portrayed its coasts as the optimum tourist and retirement destination. In the 1900 census, East Florida reported a population of 612,327 - in the most recent census (2020), the realm reported a population of just over 19M, highlighting the rapid growth the realm experienced. In the 120 years from 1900 to 2020, East Florida's population grew by an astonishing 3028.47%.
Initially and in the early part of the realms history, it's population was centered in the north and especially around the San Juan River (
Spanish: Rio San Juan). The population growth seen in the 20th Century centered on the coasts, however, particularly around
La Costa Bella province which today is home to the largest concentration of East Floridians in the realm. Considerable population growth also occurred around the Bahía Espíritu Santo and Pascua provinces. Altogether, these three provinces hold 37% of the population. Of course, the capital of San Agustín and the surrounding Capital District are the most populated area per square mile, and the province which surrounds it (Rio San Juan Exterior) has seen its population grow exponentially as the San Agustín Urban Area grew outwards. That province in conjunction with the Capital District hold another 22% of the population. The center of the realm and the northwest remain the less populated regions of the realm, despite amounting to the larger land areas. Nonetheless, these areas, especially the central provinces, hold considerable agricultural value for the realm.
East Florida is just one of two realms in the confederation where a majority of the population speaks a language other than English (the other being Canada) with a vast majority of East Floridians speaking Spanish at home. More East Floridians speak English as a total, of course, due to English being taught in East Florida schools, but the language remains a
second language for most citizens of the realm. This means that East Florida exhibits one of the highest bilingual populations in the UAR and the continent as a whole. Significant numbers of East Floridians also speak other languages, such as French, Italian and Portuguese. As far as the Spanish spoken in East Florida, it is considered a unique dialect known as
Florideño, with considerable ties to Caribbean dialects of Cuba and Puerto Rico, although having its own norms and varying significantly from the Spanish spoken there or anywhere else.
Florideño Spanish is also the dialect spoken by native Spanish speakers West Florida
East Florida is home to a considerable number afromericans due to its history of slavery, although the practice was enforced differently in the realm as opposed to its English sister realms. Colonial law in East Florida provided certain protections for enslaved individuals that were not afforded in places like Georgia, Palmetto and Carolina, resulting in a larger free-black population during the 19th century than in neighboring slaver realms. At the same time, East Florida had considerably less slaves than many of its neighbors. Escaped slaves would oftentimes head south to the Mayaimi Confederacy, where slavery was outlawed, and contention often grew in the 19th Century between free-blacks and enslaved blacks in the realm. When slavery was outlawed in the realm at the end of the 19th Century, tensions eased, and the afromerican population continued to grow from time to time with immigration from the Caribbean. In the present day, roughly 23.2% of East Floridians identify as afromerican, nearly a quarter of the population.
A super-majority of the population of East Florida is Catholic, making it one of two realms where a majority of citizens adhere to the faith (the other being Canada). East Florida holds one of the smallest Protestant populations, including adherents of the Church of Columbia. This, in conjunction with its large Spanish speaking population, has made East Florida the source of considerable racist attacks by politicians from across the confederation. East Florida has had a history of dealing with this, including multiple border crises with neighboring Georgia. In turn, East Florida is home to one of the largest independence movements in the realm and many parties in the realm advocate for greater autonomy.