20 Facts About Florida Keys

Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States.

The islands lie along the Florida Keys Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and defining one edge of Florida Keys Bay.

Florida Keys were originally inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta tribes, and were charted by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513.

The Florida Keys still attract Cubans leaving their home country, and stories of "rafters" coming ashore are not uncommon.

Northern and central sections of the Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, the Key Largo Limestone.

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Florida Keys have taken their present form as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages.

Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida Keys Platform, stretching south and then west from the present Miami area to what is the Dry Tortugas.

The Florida Reef extends 170 miles from Fowey Rocks just east of Soldier Key to just south of the Marquesas Keys.

Climate and environment of the Florida Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, though unlike the Caribbean's volcanic islands, the Keys were built by plants and animals.

The Upper Florida Keys islands are composed of sandy-type accumulations of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms.

The Lower Florida Keys are the remnants of large coral reefs, which became fossilized and exposed when the sea level dropped.

Natural habitats of the Florida Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones.

Florida Keys have distinctive plant and animals species, some found nowhere else in the United States, as the Keys define the northern extent of their ranges.

Several types of palms are native to the Florida Keys, including the Florida thatch palm, which grows to its greatest size in Florida on the islands of the Keys.

Florida Keys are home to unique animal species, including the American crocodile, Key deer, and the Key Largo woodrat.

The Florida Keys is part of the northernmost range of the American crocodile, which is found throughout the Neotropics.

Key West is the driest city in Florida, and most of the Florida Keys can become quite dry at the height of the dry season.

Florida Keys are occasionally threatened by tropical storms and hurricanes, leading to evacuations to the mainland.

Evacuation of the Florida Keys depends on causeways and the two-lane highway to the mainland.

Middle and Lower Florida Keys are among a few remaining South Florida dark skies locations accessible by car, thanks to their position along the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore with southern skies unobstructed by light pollution associated with urban development.