Florida, Spanish pronunciation: is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. The state's capital, Tallahassee, was established as such in 1823 by the second session of the territorial legislature. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive (65,755 sq mi or 170,300 km2), the 3rd-most populous (21,477,737 inhabitants), and the 8th-most densely populated (384.3/sq mi or 148.4/km2) of the U.S. states.