Florida Keys Map A Good Thing To Have In This Complex Region
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
By Janette Livingston
The Florida Keys is a complex archipelago extending over 120 miles (190 kilometers) into the Gulf of Mexico from the southern tip of the Florida panhandle. The chain is comprised of over 4,500 islands and cays surrounded by the azure waters of the gulf. Visitors to the area are strongly advised to carry a Florida Keys map because the geography is fiendishly complicated.
Many of the islands are fringed by long sections of stunning coral reefs. The area is a veritable marine paradise. It attracts keen anglers, boaters, scuba divers and snorkelers, and water sport enthusiasts. There is a continuous flow of visitors to the region throughout the year, summer and winter.
The Keys are home to about 80,000 people. The best known islands in the group are Key Largo in the north (made famous by the Humphrey Bogart movie of the same name) and Key West in the south (the home of Ernest Hemingway). One-third of the permanent population in the region lives on Key West.
Geologists believe the Lower Keys might be part of the long Appalachian ridgeline that extends along the east coast of the USA. The islands are foundered on a deep base of fossil coral layered with an egg-shaped limestone granules known as oolite. Other hints that support this conclusion is their northward alignment and the natural presence of fresh water sources on Big Pine Key.
A growing number of visitors arrive on private yachts. The surrounding waters are a paradise for boaters. Some sections are shallow and therefore deserve a close scrutiny of tide and navigation charts carefully. Despite that qualification, it is relevant to note that Key West is constantly visited by large, ocean going cruise liners.
Skippers with shallow draft vessels may approach the Keys along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). From Miami and Biscayne Bay, the ICW passes through both Card and Barnes Sounds into Florida Bay, a passage limited to vessels with a draft of five feet or less. The ocean route is through Hawk Channel, this being a passage marked by buoys and runs between the islands and the outer-most reefs.
A Florida Keys map is useful to making the most of a visit to the archipelago. The region is studded with many marine reserves, vessel wreck sites, nature parks and popular diving spots and proverbial secret fishing spots. There is even a National Key Deer Refuge on the south side of Spanish Harbor. A map will help visitors find their personal favorites. Read more about: florida keys map
Many of the islands are fringed by long sections of stunning coral reefs. The area is a veritable marine paradise. It attracts keen anglers, boaters, scuba divers and snorkelers, and water sport enthusiasts. There is a continuous flow of visitors to the region throughout the year, summer and winter.
The Keys are home to about 80,000 people. The best known islands in the group are Key Largo in the north (made famous by the Humphrey Bogart movie of the same name) and Key West in the south (the home of Ernest Hemingway). One-third of the permanent population in the region lives on Key West.
Geologists believe the Lower Keys might be part of the long Appalachian ridgeline that extends along the east coast of the USA. The islands are foundered on a deep base of fossil coral layered with an egg-shaped limestone granules known as oolite. Other hints that support this conclusion is their northward alignment and the natural presence of fresh water sources on Big Pine Key.
A growing number of visitors arrive on private yachts. The surrounding waters are a paradise for boaters. Some sections are shallow and therefore deserve a close scrutiny of tide and navigation charts carefully. Despite that qualification, it is relevant to note that Key West is constantly visited by large, ocean going cruise liners.
Skippers with shallow draft vessels may approach the Keys along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). From Miami and Biscayne Bay, the ICW passes through both Card and Barnes Sounds into Florida Bay, a passage limited to vessels with a draft of five feet or less. The ocean route is through Hawk Channel, this being a passage marked by buoys and runs between the islands and the outer-most reefs.
A Florida Keys map is useful to making the most of a visit to the archipelago. The region is studded with many marine reserves, vessel wreck sites, nature parks and popular diving spots and proverbial secret fishing spots. There is even a National Key Deer Refuge on the south side of Spanish Harbor. A map will help visitors find their personal favorites. Read more about: florida keys map
Posted byBertie at 1:41 AM
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