The Florida Keys is an extended string of islands that stretches 120 miles past he southern end of the Florida peninsula. The archipelago is made-up of a complicated jumble of more than 4,500 islets, many of which are uninhabited. The tropical climate and beautiful setting of the islands has long attracted tourists. Visitors invariably carry a Florida Keys map with them to help them navigate around the region.
Many of the isles are fringed by spectacular coral reefs. Collectively they form a Mecca, a true water paradise, for fishing enthusiasts, snorkelers and scuba divers, boaters and other water sport enthusiasts as well as general vacationers. The region receives a constant flow of visitors.
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.
Key West came to the permanent attention of Europeans during the 1600s when when Spanish fishermen from Cuba stumbled upon the prolific fishing grounds near the island. At one time in history, Key West was the largest town in Florida. It was also somewhat of a buccaneering outpost that benefitted from shipwrecks in the area and shipping into and out of the northern reaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
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.
Vessels with shallow draft travel to the islands from Miami via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). From Biscayne Bay, the ICW runs through Card Sound and Barnes Sound into Florida Bay. Passage along this route is possible by boats with a draft of no more than five feet. Larger vessels requiring greater draft take the ocean route through Hawk Channel. This route is marked by permanent buoys and is flanked by the outer-most reefs on the east and the islands on the west.
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 isles are fringed by spectacular coral reefs. Collectively they form a Mecca, a true water paradise, for fishing enthusiasts, snorkelers and scuba divers, boaters and other water sport enthusiasts as well as general vacationers. The region receives a constant flow of visitors.
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.
Key West came to the permanent attention of Europeans during the 1600s when when Spanish fishermen from Cuba stumbled upon the prolific fishing grounds near the island. At one time in history, Key West was the largest town in Florida. It was also somewhat of a buccaneering outpost that benefitted from shipwrecks in the area and shipping into and out of the northern reaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
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.
Vessels with shallow draft travel to the islands from Miami via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). From Biscayne Bay, the ICW runs through Card Sound and Barnes Sound into Florida Bay. Passage along this route is possible by boats with a draft of no more than five feet. Larger vessels requiring greater draft take the ocean route through Hawk Channel. This route is marked by permanent buoys and is flanked by the outer-most reefs on the east and the islands on the west.
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
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