There are several reefs, banks, and a few islands in the Gulf of Mexico... none of which show up on a typical globe of the world, but I'm going to ask you to acquire one anyway. It will be useful as we continue to explore the islands of the world.
Most of the islands in the Gulf of Mexico are barrier islands, quite close to the mainland of which they are a part. We start with Florida, and Captiva Island.
From Wikipedia:
Captiva Island is an island in Lee County in southwest Florida, located just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Originally part of neighboring Sanibel Island to the southeast, it was severed when a hurricane's storm surge washed away a new channel,[when?] called Blind Pass, which had filled in over the years but was reopened during a dredging project in the summer of 2009. Like Sanibel, Captiva is a barrier island to Pine Island (to the east of Captiva and north of Sanibel), however it is much narrower. The only automobile access to Captiva is via the Sanibel Causeway and Sanibel-Captiva Road, which ends in the CDP of Captiva, the island's only CDP. Captiva was homesteaded in 1888 and a tiny cemetery next to The Chapel by the Sea has the grave of the original resident, William Herbert Binder (1850-1932), an Austrian. Half the island is in private ownership, with "Millionaire's Row", luxury homes on gulf and bay side of "San-Cap" road. The South Seas Island Resort entry gate is at the end of this road. Roosevelt Channel on the east side of the island, is named for Theodore Roosevelt who fished there.
North Captiva Island or Upper Captiva is another island, in turn severed from Captiva in a 1921 hurricane, creating Redfish Pass. North Captiva has power from lines that originate on the north end of Captiva, and is privately owned. With about 300 homes built and 300 vacant lots, the island is about half way to build-out. Since the island can be accessed by boat or small plane only, North Captiva real estate values are generally lower than on Captiva.
Damage on Captiva Island from Hurricane CharleyCaptiva was seriously damaged in August 2004 when the eastern eyewall of Hurricane Charley struck North Captiva, immediately before hitting Charlotte Harbor to the north-northeast. Initial reports indicated that 160 buildings were destroyed and another 160 seriously damaged. Although there are reports that the storm surge cut a path 400 yards (366 m) wide across the narrowest part of North Captiva, separating the island, local fishermen have said that the separation of the two halves of the island was actually caused by a series of tornadoes that passed through the area in September of 2001.[citation needed] The new pass has not been formally named, but the locals call it "Charley Pass" or "The North Cap Gap". It has since filled in with sand and reunited the island.
Captiva is the part-time home of many famous people and was the full-time home of world renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg. South Seas Island Resort and Yacht Harbor, a 330-acre (1.3 km2) resort, resides on the northern two miles (3 km) of Captiva Island. The Wall Street Journal selected Sanibel and Captiva Islands as one of the 10 Best Places for Second Homes in 2010.
According to local folklore, Captiva got its name because the pirate captain José Gaspar (Gasparilla) held his female prisoners on the island for ransom or worse. However, the supposed existence of Jose Gaspar is sourced from an advertising brochure of an early 20th century developer and may be a fabrication.
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