What is the geography of the Florida Keys?
The “keys” are a chain of rocky islands, stretching some 180 miles from Biscayne Bay to the Dry Tortugas. On the north and west they touch the shallow waters of Florida Bay; on the east and south lie the deeper waters of the Straits of Florida and the deep-blue Gulf Stream.
Is the Florida Keys part of the ocean?
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. At the nearest point, the southern part of Key West is just 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba….Florida Keys.
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Population | 73,090 (2010) |
What is considered the Florida Keys?
Florida Keys, island chain, Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, southern Florida, U.S. Composed of coral and limestone, the islands curve southwestward for about 220 miles (355 km) from Virginia Key in the Atlantic Ocean (just south of Miami Beach) to Loggerhead Key of the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Why are the Florida Keys important to the environment?
The Florida Keys offer a range of habitats, providing homes to a wide range of animals. The approximately 1,700 mangrove-fringed islands of the Keys provide important nursery habitat for commercial fish species, as well as above-water nesting grounds for vibrant bird populations.
What are the habitats in the Florida Keys?
The habitats of the Keys include mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, making this area quite diverse in flora and fauna. However, due to the small land area of the Keys, these sensitive habitats are easily impacted. Water Pollution. Water quality is deteriorating in nearshore and confined waters of the Florida Keys.
How are the Florida Keys affecting the environment?
However, due to the small land area of the Keys, these sensitive habitats are easily impacted. Water quality is deteriorating in nearshore and confined waters of the Florida Keys.
What kind of climate does the Florida Keys have?
The climate of the Florida Keys is tropical savanna (Köppen climate classification: Aw). Other than some areas of coastal Miami, the Florida Keys are the only areas in the United States to never report freezing temperatures since settlement.
How tall is the sea level in the Florida Keys?
Here in Florida, the Florida Keys tell the story of rising seas better than most places, with 90 percent of the land mass at five feet above sea level or less.