Florida Keys, Key National Marine Sanctuary, Dry Tortugas National Park

The Florida Keys are an archipelago or cluster of about 1700 islands in the extreme southeast of the United States. The Keys extend from the southeastern Florida peninsula from a point about 15 miles south of Miami, running south-southwest at first and gradually curving west to Key West, and out to the uninhabited Dry Tortugas.

The islands lie along the Florida Straits, dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and defining one edge of Florida Bay. At the nearest point, the southern tip of Key West is just 90 miles (145 km) from Cuba.

The true Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, with very little sand. The types of coral that formed that reef can be identified on the surface of these keys. The northernmost of the true Florida Keys is Elliott Key, in Biscayne National Park. North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north, Key Biscayne and places north are barrier islands, built up of sand. The city of Key West is the county seat of Monroe County, which consists of a section on the mainland that is almost entirely in Everglades National Park, and all of the keys from Key Largo south and west to the Dry Tortugas The most popular destinations in the Florida Keys: Key Largo is an island in the Florida Keys archipelago and one of the largest of its islands. Key Largo is a popular tourist destination and calls itself the "Diving Capital of the World". Tourists enjoy Key Largo's scuba diving and sports-fishing. Key Largo’s proximity to the Everglades also makes it a premier destination for kayakers and ecotourists. Key Largo, Florida is the unofficial name of the community on this island. The community is not a city or municipality; it is an unincorporated part of Monroe County, Florida. Key Largo is the first of the Florida Keys islands reached from the mainland of Florida on the Overseas Highway, U.S. Highway 1, which meets Key Largo at Jewfish Creek. The highway runs southwest from Jewfish Creek to the end of the island at Tavernier Creek. Key Largo is sandwiched between the wilderness of the Everglades National Park to the north-west and the fish-covered coral formations of North America’s only living coral barrier reef to the east. Key Largo is considered part of the "Upper Keys," the area that encompasses the communities of Key Largo, Tavernier, Plantation Key, and Islamorada. Islamorada, "Village of Islands" is a village located in Monroe County, Florida, on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 6,846. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,772 [1]. The name "Islamorada", meaning "purple isle", comes from early Spanish explorers in the area, and means (only by coincidence) "Islam is over there" in Turkish.

Throughout the sanctuary are majestic slopes, ledges and 7000 years of coral growth. A cave is located to the north in 12 feet of water. There are 39 buoys within the sanctuary. Near buoy #17 you will find tall coral formations that allow for good diving. Elkhorn coral is located to the northeast and a massive star coral on a pedestal can be found just south of the eyebolt. FLORIDA KEYS You are sure to see sand patches near buoy #39. If you snorkel south of the buoy you will venture into a coral reef nursery inhabited by young coral recruits, juvenile fish and green conch. It is very important that you not stand or touch in this coral nursery area.

Key West is a city and an island of the same name at the southernmost and westernmost tip of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 25,478. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 24,768 [1]. This is an interesting comparison to the 1920 census that put the population at approximately 20,000. It is the county seat of Monroe County.GR6 Key West is known as the Southernmost City and also as the Conch Republic. It is also the southern terminus of U.S. 1. Key West is about 150 miles (240 km) southwest of Miami, Florida, and 90 miles (145 km) north of Havana, Cuba.

Key West is a seaport destination for many passenger cruise ships. The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Hotels and guest houses are available for lodging. Many restaurants offer a choice of indoor or outdoor dining.

Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was founded in the city in 1926. The central business district primarily comprises Duval, Whitehead, and Simonton Streets.

Key West has a large gay and lesbian population and is a popular international gay tourist destination. The Key West Business Guild is the nation's first and oldest continuous gay and lesbian chamber of commerce. Key West is known for its tolerance and acceptance and has adopted the diversity motto "One Human Family" to reflect a desire to treat all people with respect and dignity. Key West is home to many eccentric residents and visitors who have traveled to the end of the road (U.S. Highway 1) to find individual freedom.

The U.S. Navy has a large presence and occupies significant property in Key West. The Naval Air Station (NAS Key West) located on Boca Chica Key is an air combat training facility. President Harry S. Truman often stayed in Key West for rest and relaxation at the Truman Little White House during his presidency.

The Marquesas Keys, not to be confused with the Marquesas Islands in the Pacific Ocean, form an uninhabited island group about 50 km west of Key West, 6 km in diameter, and overgrown by mangrove. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. The total area, including the lagoon, measures 29.37 km². About a fourth of this is land area.

The islands are part of the Florida Keys, separated from the rest of the Florida Keys, which are further east, by the Boca Grande Channel, which is 10 km wide until Boca Grande Key. Only the Dry Tortugas are still further west, 60 km west of the Marquesas Keys.

The central lagoon is called Mooney Harbor. The northernmost key is the largest and has a strip of sandy beach free of mangrove. It surrounds the lagoon in the north and east. Adjoining in the south are smaller keys such as Gull Keys, Mooney Harbor Key, and finally about four unnamed keys in the southwest corner of the island.

The islands are best known for their excellent sport fishing.