Sarasota:

• The city of Sarasota is the seat of Sarasota county
• The county has 725 sq miles: 572 sq miles of land and 154 sq miles of water
• In 2005, the county population was estimated at 366,256
• Sarasota is located south of Tampa, a distance of approximately 63 miles
• The incorporated cities in Sarasota county are Sarasota, Longboat Key, North Port and Venice
• Unincorporated areas include: Bee Ridge, Desoto Lakes, Englewood, Fruitville,Gulf Gate Estates, Kensington Park, Lake Sarasota, Laurel, Nokomis, North Sarasota, Osprey, Plantation, Ridge Wood Heights, Sarasota Springs, Siesta Key, South Gate Ridge, South Sarasota, South Venice, Southgate, The Meadows, Vamo, Venice Gardens, and Warm Mineral Springs
• An unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality. To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, i.e., a city or town with its own government.  Such regions are generally administered by default as a part of larger territorial divisions such as: township, borough, county, state, province, canton, parish, or country
• Sarasota borders Sarasota Bay, which is an arm of the Gulf of Mexico
• Parks: Myakka River State Park, Oscar Scherer State Park