![]() The isolated outpost was well located for trade with Cuba and the Bahamas and was on the main trade route from New Orleans. ![]() For many years, Key West was the largest town in Florida, and it grew prosperous on wrecking revenues. "Key" is derived from the Spanish word cayo, meaning small island. De León named the islands Los Martires ("The Martyrs"), as they looked like suffering men from a distance. The Keys were originally inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta tribes, and were charted by Juan Ponce de León in 1513. History Lower Matecumbe Key to Key Largo, captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite Key West to Big Pine Key, seen from Sentinel-2 satellite The county consists of a section on the mainland which is almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and the Keys islands from Key Largo to Dry Tortugas National Park. The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County. The 2014 Census population estimate was 77,136. At the 2010 census the population was 73,090, with an average density of 532.34 per square mile (205.54/km 2), 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 Keys' total population. The total land area is 137.3 square miles (356 km 2). More than 95% of the land area lies in Monroe County, but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County, such as Totten Key. The Keys are between about 24.3 and 25.5 degrees North latitude. At the nearest point, the southern part of Key West is just 93 miles (150 km) from Cuba. The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) 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 Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. Satellite image of the Florida Keys, August 2005
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |