Picture a ship sailing across open water for weeks with no idea what lies ahead. That is what Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was doing when, on April 2, 1513, he spotted land from his ship. He and his crew had sailed northwest from Puerto Rico. When they stepped ashore, they became the first Europeans to set foot on what is now the mainland United States. The land was lush and green, full of flowering plants. Ponce de Leon named it La Florida, which means "land of flowers" in Spanish. Some stories say he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. A magical spring that could make old people young again. Most historians believe this legend was added later. Ponce de Leon was more likely searching for new territory and gold for Spain. What he found was a peninsula -- a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides. Florida stretches about 500 miles from north to south and is mostly flat. Its geography includes swamps, rivers, sandy beaches, and the unique Everglades wetlands. The warm climate is caused by its southern location, close to the tropics. Long before Ponce de Leon arrived, Native peoples including the Calusa, Timucua. Tequesta had lived in Florida for thousands of years. They fished, hunted, and built villages along the coast. Ponce de Leon's arrival began the European exploration of the mainland. This would change North America forever.