The Florida Keys are islands of coral reefs located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continent of the United States. They started on the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami, and stretched in a soft bow in the south-southwest and then west to Key West, the westernmost inhabited island, and to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands are located along the Florida Strait, dividing the Atlantic Ocean east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one end of the Gulf of Florida. At the closest point, the southern part of Key West is only 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba. The Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude.
More than 95 percent of the mainland is located in Monroe County, but a fraction extends northeast into Miami-Dade County, such as Totten Key. The total land area is 137.3 square miles (356 km 2 ). At the 2010 census, the population was 73,090 with an average density of 532.34 per square mile (205.54/km 2 ), although most populations were concentrated in some areas with much higher densities, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire Lock population. The US Census's population census for 2014 is 77.136.
The town of Key West is a county county of Monroe County. The county consists of parts on the mainland that are almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and Keys islands from Key Largo to Dry Tortugas.
Video Florida Keys
Histori Edit
Sejarah awal Edit
The key was initially inhabited by Calusa and Tequesta Native Americans, and later mapped by Juan Ponce de LeÃÆ'³n in 1513. De LeÃÆ'³n named Los Martires islands ("Martyrs"), because they look like they are suffering from men from the distance. The "key" comes from the Spanish word cayo , which means small island. Over the years, Key West was the largest city in Florida, and grew prosperous in breaking down revenues. The urgent post is strategically located for trade with Cuba and the Bahamas, and is on the main trading route of New Orleans. Improved navigation led to fewer shipwrecks, and Key West declined in the late nineteenth century.
Overseas Railway Edit
The buttons are long only accessible by water. This changed with the completion of Overseas Railway Henry Flagler in the early 1910s. Flagler, Florida's premier Atlantic coast developer, expands its East Coast Floridian Railway into Key West with an ambitious series of railroad lines. Three storms disrupted the project in 1906, 1909, and 1910.
Labor Day Letter 1935 Edit
The worst storm to strike the US makes landfall near Islamorada at Lock Up on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. Winds are estimated to reach 200 mph (320 km/h), increasing storm surges more than 17.5 feet (5.3 m). Ã, m) above sea level that sweeps the islands. More than 400 people were killed, although some estimates put the death toll more than 600.
The Labor Day storm was one of only three storms that made landfall in the power of Category 5 on the US coast due to reliable weather records beginning (circa 1850). Other storms are Hurricane Camille (1969) and Hurricane Andrew (1992).
In 1935, a new bridge was being built to connect the highway through the entire Keys. Hundreds of World War I veterans working on the streets as part of a government aid program were housed in unconfirmed buildings in three construction camps in the Upper Keys. When the evacuation train failed to reach the camp before the storm, more than 200 veterans were killed. Their deaths caused anger and allegations of mismanagement that led to Congressional inquiry.
The storm also ended the journey of the Overseas Railway for 23 years; the broken tracks were never rebuilt, and the Overseas Highway (US Highway 1) replaced the railroad tracks as the main transportation route from Miami to Key West.
Seven Mile Bridge Edit
One of the longest bridges built, Seven Mile Bridge connects Knight's Key (part of Marathon town in Middle Keys) to Little Duck Key in Lower Keys. The pole-backed concrete bridge is 35,862 feet (10,931 m) or 6.79 miles (10.93 km) long. The bridge currently passes Pigeon Key, a small island that houses the workers who built East Coast Railway owned by Henry Flagler in the 1900s, that the original Seven Mile Bridge crossed. A 2.2 mile (3.5 km) part of the old bridge remains for access to the island, though it was closed to vehicular traffic on March 4, 2008. The aging structure has been deemed unsafe by the Florida Department of Transportation. Expensive repairs, estimated at $ 34 million, are expected to begin in July 2008. Monroe County can not obtain a $ 17 million loan through state infrastructure banks, delaying work for at least a year. On June 14, 2008, the old bridge section leading to Pigeon Key was closed for fishing as well. Although still open to pedestrians - on foot, cycling and jogging - if the bridge is closed altogether, only a ferry subsidized by FDOT and managed by the district will transport visitors to the island.
Overseas Highway Edit
After the destruction of the railway line by the 1935 Labor Day Storm, the railway bridge, including the Seven Mile Bridge, was converted into a motorway. This highway, US Highway 1, became the Overseas Highway that stretches from Key Largo south to Key West. Today this unique coastal highway allows those in the car to travel through the tropical islands of the Florida Keys and see exotic plants and animals not found elsewhere on the US mainland. The Overseas Highway allows travelers to access the largest coral reef chain in the United States that runs through the Florida Keys.
Cuban exiles Edit
After the Cuban Revolution, many Cubans fled to South Florida. Key West traditionally has a strong connection with its neighbors ninety miles south by water, and a large number of Cubans settle there. The key still attracts the Cubans leaving their home country, and the story of the "rafter" that comes to the beach is unusual.
Conch Republic Edit
In 1982, the United States Border Patrol had set a roadblock and checkpoint on US Highway 1, stopping all of the northern back-to-coast traffic in Florida City, searching for vehicles for illegal drugs and undocumented people. The Key West City Council repeatedly complained about roadblocks, which is a major inconvenience for people traveling from Key West, and hurt Key's important tourism industry.
After numerous unsuccessful complaints and attempts to obtain a legal order against the blockade failed in federal court in Miami, on April 23, 1982, the mayor of Key West Dennis Wardlow and the city council declared independence of Key West City, calling it "Republican conch". After a minute of secession, he (as "Prime Minister") surrendered to officers from Key West Naval Air Station (NAS), and asked for a billion ($ 1,000,000,000) in "foreign aid".
The action managed to generate massive publicity for the misery of the Keys, and the roadblock of inspection station was removed. It also provides a new source of revenue for Locks, and Republic Conch has participated in subsequent protests.
Maps Florida Keys
Geology Edit
The Florida Keys are an exposed part of the ancient coral reefs. The northernmost island that emerges from ancient coral formations is Elliott Key, in Biscayne National Park. North Elliott Key are some of the small transition keys, consisting of sand built around small areas of ancient coral reefs. Further north, Key Biscayne and the north are barrier islands, built of sand.
The Florida Keys have taken their current form as a result of drastic changes in the ocean surface associated with recent glaciations or ice ages. Starting about 130,000 years ago, the Sangamonia Stage raised the sea level to approximately 25 feet (7.5 m) above the current level. All of south Florida is covered by shallow seas. Several parallel coral lines formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plain, stretching southward and then westward from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas. These corals make up the Largo Key limestone exposed on the surface of the Soldier Key (in the middle between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to the southeast of Big Pine Key and the Newfound Harbor Keys. The types of corals that make up the Key Largo limestone can be identified on the open surface of these keys.
Beginning about 100,000 years ago Wisconsin's glaciation began to degrade sea levels, exposing coral reefs and surrounding marine sediments. At 15,000 years ago sea level has dropped to 300 to 350 feet (110 m) below the contemporary level. Coral reefs and exposed deposits are severely eroded. Acidic water, which can be produced from decomposing vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some dissolved limestone is neutralized as a closer sealed stone, which can be seen as the outcrop lining the Key Largo and Miami limestone throughout the Keys. The eroded limestone of the corals forms ooliths in the shallow seas behind the reef, and together with the remains of the bryozoans, forms the Miami limestone which is the current base rock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower button of the Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West, the ancient coral is covered with calcareous sand recently.
The only offshore Florida Keys along the banks of the Florida Strait is Florida Reef (also known as Florida Reef Tract). The Florida Reef extends 270 km from Fowey Rocks to the east of Soldier Key to the south of Marquesas Keys. This is the third largest barrier reef system in the world.
Environment Edit
Climate and environment Keys Florida is closer to the Caribbean than any other part of Florida, although unlike the volcanic islands of the Caribbean, Keys are built by plants and animals. The Upper Keys Islands consist of a sand-type accumulation of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms. The Down Keys are the remnants of large coral reefs, which become fossilized and exposed when the sea level decreases.
The natural habitats of Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and coastal zones. The soil ranges from sand to marl to become rich, leaf litter decomposes. In some places, "caprock" (eroded surface of coral formation) covers the ground. The rain that falls through the splinter leaves becomes acidic and dissolves a hole in limestone, where the soil accumulates and roots the tree.
Flora and fauna Edit
The Florida Keys have distinctive plant and animal species, some of which are not found elsewhere in the United States, as the Keys determine the northern portion of its range. Climate also allows many plants to be imported to grow. Almost all of the known houseplant with trade, and most of the landscape plants in the South, can thrive in the Keys climate. Some exotic species that arrive as landscape plants are now attacking and threatening the natural area.
The original flora of the Keys varies, including members of moderate families, such as red maple ( Acer rubrum ), pine slash ( Pinus elliottii var. densa ) and oak trees ( Quercus spp.), growing at the southern end of their reach, and tropical families, including mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ), gumbo limbo ( Bursera simaruba ), Eugenia spp., Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia piscipula), and many others, which only grow in tropical climates. Cocos nucifera palm oil is endemic, and can reach heights and large sizes across the island. Several other palms are from the Florida Keys, including the Florida Thrinax radiata, which grows to the largest size in Florida on the Keys islands. Key Lime is endemic to Florida Key, grows vigorously and produces a very unique and fragrant fruity golf-balls. Bougainvillea, hibiscus, and papaya flourish in Keys reach unparalleled size anywhere in the US mainland.
The Keys are also home to unique animal species, including the American crocodile, Key deer, protected by the National Key Deer Refuge, and Key Largo woodrat. The Keys is the northernmost range of American crocodiles, which are endemic from South America to Panama, north to the Florida Keys. The Key Largo Woodrat is only found in the north of the island of namesake, and is the focus of management activities at Crocodile Crocodile's Crocodile National Wildlife Refuge. About 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West is Tortugas Dry National Park, one of the most isolated and therefore well-preserved in the world.
The waters around the Keys are part of a protected area known as the Florida Keys National Marine Refuge.
Climate Edit
The Florida Keys climate is a tropical savanna (climatic classification KÃÆ'¶ppen: Aw) ,. In addition to some coastal areas of Miami, the Florida Keys is the only region in the United States that has never reported frozen temperatures since the settlement. The low record in Key West was 41 F (5 C) (in 1886 and 1981), and low temperatures below 48 F (8.9 C) were rare. Most of the Florida Keys fall into the USDA 11a zone to 11b.
There are two major "seasons" in Florida Keys, summer and wet from June to October, and the dry season from November to April, featuring little rain, bright skies, and warm windy conditions. Warm and sunny winter climates, with the highest average in the mid 70s F (24 C) and the lowest over 60 F (15 C), are the main tourist season in Florida Keys. Key West is the driest city in Florida, and most Florida Keys can be very dry at the peak of the dry season. Some of the more open vegetation in the locks are shrubs, dwarfs due to intense sun, fast dry sandy soil, and arid winter climates.
Tropical cyclone The Keys are sometimes threatened by tropical storms and hurricanes, which cause evacuation to the mainland. Hurricane Georges, having destroyed much of the housing and infrastructure of many Caribbean islands, caused massive damage and flooding in the Lower Keys in 1998, before landing in Mississippi. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma affected the Key (though none were directly attacked), causing widespread damage and flooding. The most severe storms that hit the area were the Labor Day Storm of 1935, Category 5 hurricanes.
Tropical cyclones present special hazards and challenges for the entire Key. Since there is no archipelago over 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level (and many only a few feet high), and water surrounds the islands, almost every neighborhood is hit by floods and storms. In response, many lock houses are built on concrete platforms with a first floor that can not be legally inhabited and covered by broken walls that are not firmly attached to other parts of the house. Nevertheless, Monroe County, as reported in the Federal Register, has estimated that there are between 8,000 and 12,000 illegal enclosures populated by people.
Due to the threat of storm surges, evacuations are routinely ordered when the National Weather Service issues a warning or storm warning, and is sometimes ordered to warn of tropical storms. Evacuation Keys depend on the highway and the two-lane highway to the mainland. Estimated time to evacuate all Buttons ranges from 12 to 24 hours. Evacuation estimates are significant in emergency planning, of course, but also because they are a factor in local and state legislation to control development. The allocation of building permits increased in 2005 when local governments reduced their estimates for evacuation.
On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made a landing at Cudjoe Key. The storm destroyed about 25% of homes in the Keys and another 65% suffered major damage. Most of the population had been displaced before the storm hit the area. On September 12, some of the Keys were still inaccessible by the cross road and some areas were closed to the public. Governor Rick Scott reported the destruction; most areas without electricity or water. The damage was the worst in the Bottom Key, though less severe in Key West; Lower Keys may be uninhabitable for months.
src: www.mulehawk.com
Big islands Edit
U.S. Highway 1, "Overseas Road", across most of Florida Keys's uninhabited island. The islands are listed in the order from southwest to north. Spider Mile is listed for the key that the Overseas Highway runs across or near.
- Dry Tortugas
- Marquesas Keys
- Sunset Key
- Wisteria Island
- Key West (MM 0-4)
- Fleming Button
- Sigsbee Park (off the north at MM 2Ã,¾)
- Stock Island (MM 5)
- Raccoon Key (release north on MM 5Ã,¼)
- Boca Chica Key (MM 7-8)
- Rockland Key (MM 9)
- East Rockland Key (MM 9ý)
- Big Coppitt Key (MM 10)
- Geiger Key (then south to MM 10Ã,¾)
- Shark Key (then north to MM 11Ã,¼)
- Saddlebunch Button (MM 12-16)
- Sugarloaf Bottom Locks (MM 17)
- Garden Key (MM 18)
- Sugarloaf Key (MM 19-20)
- Cudjoe Key (MM 21-23)
- Lock Knockemdown
- Summerland Key (MM 24-25)
- Key of Ramrod (MM 27)
- Middle Torch Lock, Large Torch Key (north on MM 27Ã,¾)
- Little Torch Key (MM 28Ã,½)
- Big Pine Button (MM 30-32)
- Unlock Key
- Scout Key (MM 34-35), formerly known as West Summerland Key
- Bahia Honda Key (MM 37-38)
- Ohio Key (MM 38þ), also known as Sunshine Key
- Missouri Key (MM 39ü)
- Little Duck Key (MM 39þ)
Seven Mile Bridge (MM 40-46Ã,¾) separates the Lower Key from the Middle Button.
- Pigeon Key (off to north near MM 45; access at MM 46Ã,¾)
- Knight's Key (MM 47)
- Vaca key (MM 48-53)
- Boot Lock (off to south on MM 48; bridge closed)
- Fat Deer Key (MM 53Ã,¼-55)
- Shelter Key (go south on MM 53Ã,¾)
- Long Point Button (MM 56)
- Crawling key (MM 56Ã,½)
- Grassy Key (MM 58-60)
(Knights, Vaca, Boot, Long Point, Crawl, and Grassy Keys, as well as most of the Fat Deer Key, incorporated in the town of Marathon.The remaining part of the Fat Deer Key and most of the Shelter Key is part of the Key Colony Beach.
- Duck Key (MM 61)
- Key Conch (MM 62-63)
The Long Key Bridge (MM 63Ã,¼-65Ã,¼) separates Middle Key from Upper Keys.
- Long Button (MM 66-70), formerly known as Rattlesnake Key
- Fiesta Key (then north of MM 70)
- Craig Key (MM 72)
- Lower Matecumbe Key (MM 74-77)
- Lignumvitae key
- India Key
- India Key Fill (MM 79)
- Tea Tables (MM 79ý)
- Upper Matecumbe Key (MM 80-83)
- Windley Key (MM 85)
- Plantation Keys (MM 86-90)
(Lower Matecumbe through the Plantation Key incorporated as Islamorada, Village of Islands. "Key Largo, North Key Largo and Tavernier" cities, all on Key Largo Island, are not included.)
- Key Largo (MM 91-107)
- Cross Keys (MM 109-112)
All keys north of Broad Creek are in Biscayne National Park and Miami-Dade County. Here are the "Florida Keys" (exposed to ancient coral reefs):
- Old Rhodes Key
- Totten Lock
- Reid Button
- Rubicon Button
- Adams Lock
- Elliott Lock
The following is a "transitional key", made up of ancient open corals surrounded by sand.
- Sand Key
- Boca Chita Key
- Buttons Dropped
- Locks Soldiers
Key Biscayne is not one of the Florida Keys, but the first of the Atlantic barrier islands.
src: img1.southernliving.timeinc.net
Transportation Edit
The main chain of Keys islands can be cruised by motor vehicles on the US Overseas Highway, 127 miles (204 km), that runs from Key West to Fort Kent, Maine as a whole. The highway was built parallel to the original route of the Outer Railway, which was not rebuilt after the 1935 Labor Day storm. Even before the storms, roads and highway bridges allowed car traffic to travel from Miami to the Lowering Matecumbe Key, the car ferry is connected to another part of the road via the Bottom Key. After the storm, some of the original railway bridges were converted to carry highway highways. These bridges were used until the 1980s, when new highway bridges were built side by side. Many of the original railroad and railroad bridges remain today as a pedestrian fishing dock.
Public transport Edit
The Florida Keys has public bus transportation.
Dangers Edit
Despite this reconstruction, AS 1 is not expanded on a large scale, and currently most routes consist of only two lanes. Due to their tropical climate, the Florida Keys attract several hundred thousand tourists each year. While some visitors arrive via Key West International Airport and the Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon, cruises or ferries from Miami, Fort Myers, or Marco Island, Florida, most of the tourists descend from the mainland on US 1. This traffic entry, coupled with the nature of the two US lines 1 through most of its length in the Keys, and the fact that no alternative road routes are available means that Monroe County has the highest fatal car crash rate per capita in the state of Florida.
src: static1.squarespace.com
Culture and recreation Edit
Major industries are fisheries and tourism, including ecotourism, with many scuba diving visitors in the protected waters of the region. A new ferry now takes the rider between Key West and Fort Myers, northward on the mainland, along the western edge of the Gulf of Florida.
src: img1.southernliving.timeinc.net
Notes Edit
![Florida Keys â€]()
src: easywaytospeakenglish.com
References Edit
src: vivo-homeliving.com
More references Edit
Jeff, Ripple (1995) Jeff, Ripple (1995) Jeff, Ripple (1995). Florida Keys: Paradise Island's Natural Wonders , Photos by Bill Keogh, Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBNÃ, 0-89658-262-0. Jason's Project The Story of the Water Movement and the Land Formation - accessed January 28, 2006. About Florida Keys Florida Keys Fish
src: floridakeysluxuryvacationrentals.com
External links Edit
- Gazetteer from Florida Keys
- Florida Keys travel guides from Wikivoyage
- Key West City
- Marathon City
- History of Conch Republic
- National Park Service: Dry Tortugas
- NOAA Marine Sanctuary
- Florida Keys Watershed - Florida DEP
Media Edit
- Key West Citizen
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments