The Florida Keys are an archipelago, a string of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on 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 Florida Keys are between about 23.5 and 25.5 degrees North latitude, in the subtropics. More than 95 percent of the land area lies in Monroe County, but a small portion extends northeast into Miami-Dade County, primarily in the city of Islandia, Florida. The total land area is 355.6 km² (137.3 sq mi). As of the 2000 census the population was 79,535, with an average density of 223.66/km² (579.27/sq mi), although much of the population is concentrated in a few areas of much higher density, such as the city of Key West, which has 32% of the entire population of the Keys.

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 the Keys islands from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas.

Origins

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The Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, with very little sand. The northernmost island arising from the ancient reef formation 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.^*

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Travel: Florida Keys in 5...- Cruising on the Overseas Highway http://bit.ly/6xbqlh
TweetNewsInfo (Tweet News Info) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:16:45 -0000
Travel: Florida Keys in 5...- Cruising on the Overseas Highway http://bit.ly/6xbqlh
@BieberBlasterz we go to Disney & Universal, then down to our house in the south in the Florida Keys. Where are you going? Xoxo
Naturally_Anna (Anna) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:15:59 -0000
@BieberBlasterz we go to Disney & Universal, then down to our house in the south in the Florida Keys. Where are you going? Xoxo
beach camping http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Keys/blog-460774.html
kavincox (kavincox) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:22:04 -0000
beach camping http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Keys/blog-460774.html
PAM HOBBS Painting, Cooking and living in the Florida Keys: Its ... http://bit.ly/54ySEE
CheapoFTS (Derek Dowell) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:04:23 -0000
PAM HOBBS Painting, Cooking and living in the Florida Keys: Its ... http://bit.ly/54ySEE
Waterfront Florida Keys Vacation Rental in Key Colony Beach http://bit.ly/61xSGn
CheapoFTS (Derek Dowell) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:04:22 -0000
Waterfront Florida Keys Vacation Rental in Key Colony Beach http://bit.ly/61xSGn
SaileNet: Florida Keys - Inside or outside? http://bit.ly/7MeEXD Full http://bit.ly/5t7n0d
SailingUpdates (Sailing Update) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:33:06 -0000
SaileNet: Florida Keys - Inside or outside? http://bit.ly/7MeEXD Full http://bit.ly/5t7n0d

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