THE FLORIDA KEYS

LOCATION

• The florida keys are located off the southern coast of florida
• Key west is 90 miles from Cuba
• It is near the Bahamas
• Southermost point in continental U.S.
• Long span of islands

GEOGRPAHY

• The florida keys are islands that are off the southern tip of florida
• There are many bridges and natural landforms that connect them
• The islands are mostly made up mangrooves
• These mangrooves are an important part of the ecosystem
• Islands mane structure is mostly mangroves and dead coral

HISTORY

• 100,000 years ago, the keys were under water
• The islands were refered to as "cayos" bh early spanish settlers
• The english gernerally used the word "kay" or "cay" meaning small island
• Somehow this became key
• U.S. Navy used key west as an army base during WWII

WILDLIFE

• The florida keys have a lot of diverse wildlife
• Key deer, are a small timid deer present on the islamd
• They are highly endangered, but there numbers aren growing
• There are also birds, tortises, and iguanas
• The oceanlife is highly diverse as well

CLIMATE

• The florida keys have a subtropical climate, much like Florida
• Very hot and humid
• Thunderstorms and lightning are more prominent here, and more dangerous
• Rains almost every day, but not for the entire day
• Hurricanes are a great threat to island and its corals

ECONOMY

• The florida keys make most of their money though tourism
• More than one million people visit and return to key west each year
• Key west is one of the leading tourist attractions in the world
• In 2005, key west made roughly $31 million from tourism
• Unfortunately, key west is expected to lose nearly 70 million in revenue from cruise ships

RESOURCES

• The florida keys are a national marine sanctuary
• The coral heads here are endangered and are protected by national laws
• There are also many endangered species here, including 5 species of sea turtle
• There are many coral nurseries in the keys
• There is even a sea turtle hospital to help protect the endangered turtles

FUN FACTS

• The first inhabitants of the florida keys were native americans
• In 1935 the keys were hit with the worst hurricane the U.S. has ever seen
• Florida keys has one of the longest bridges in the U.S., spanning 7 miles
• The total land area the keys is 137.3 square miles
• There are over 1700 islands part of the keys (only 43 of which are inhabited)