Florida's Walt Disney World: A 25,000-Acre Entertainment Complex

The Walt Disney World resort in central Florida is an expansive entertainment complex that encompasses four theme parks, two water parks, and numerous hotels spread across thousands of acres southwest of Orlando.

Developed by the Walt Disney Company as a companion to Disneyland in California, it was opened on October 1, 1971. The resort covers over 25,000 acres and is frequently compared in size to a medium-sized American city, with its own internal roads, waterways, and transportation systems linking the different districts.

The core of Walt Disney World is its four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Each park is designed as a distinct world with its own architectural language and narrative focus.