Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 98 miles (157 km) from Cuba. The Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude, in the subtropics. The climate of the Keys however, is defined as tropical according to Köppen climate classification. More than 95 percent of the land area is in Monroe County, but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County, primarily in the city of Islandia, Florida. The total land area is 355.6 km² (137.3 sq mi). As of the 2000 census the population was 79,535, with an average density of 223.66/km² (579.27/sq mi), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire population of the Keys.

The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County, which consists of a section on the mainland which is almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and the Keys islands from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas.

Upper keys

Key Biscayne
Key Largo
Rattlesnake Key

Middle keys

Islamorada
Tavernier
Plantation Key
Matecumbe Key
Craig Key
Fiesta Key
Long Key
Conch Key
Duck Key
Grassy Key
Deer Key
Vaca Key
Marathon
Boot Key

Lower keys

Bahia Honda
West Summer land Key
Ohio Key
No Name Key
Big Pine Key
Torch Key
Ramrod Key
Summerland Key
Cudjoe Key
Sugarloaf Key
Saddlebunch Keys
Big Coppitt Key
Boca Chica
Key West

Florida Keys Media

Satellite image of the Florida Keys, August 2005
Lower Matecumbe Key to Key Largo, captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite
Key West to Big Pine Key, seen from Sentinel-2 satellite
Royal Poinciana tree in full bloom in the Florida Keys
Coconut palm trees are grown all over South Florida
A male Key Deer on No Name Key in the lower Keys
Typical current flowsthroughout the Florida Keys(NOAA June 2010)
Map of the Florida Keys, from the Dry Tortugas to Little Torch Key, showing boundaries of National Marine Sanctuaries
Map of the Florida Keys, from Key West to the Ragged Keys in Biscayne National Park, showing boundaries of National Marine Sanctuaries (overlaps map above from Key West to Little Torch Key)

Other websites

Wikivoyage has a travel guide about: Florida Keys

A Gazetteer of the Florida Keys Archived 2020-08-06 at the Wayback Machine
City of Key West
Historical photographs of the Florida Keys Archived 2019-09-10 at the Wayback Machine
History of the Conch Republic Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine
National Park Service: Dry Tortugas
NOAA Marine Sanctuary Archived 2003-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
Crane Point Museum & Nature Center

Media

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