Islands of the World #4: The Florida Keys

We should have started our Islands of the World with the Florida Keys (since we're going to be covering the islands in geographical order, and have started with islands in the Gulf of Mexico, and begun with Florida.)

The Florida Keys are actually over a thousand islands, with only about 20 habitable.

The Florida Keys are the islands that separate the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean... so the west coast of each island borders the Gulf of Mexico, the east coast of each island borders the Atlantic Ocean.

The Florida peninsula juts eastwawrd out into the Atlantic Ocean. At its tip, the Florida keys curl westward into the Gulf.



The islands are exposed portions of an ancient coral reef.

Major islands
Highway 1, the "Overseas Highway" runs over most of the inhabited islands of the Florida Keys. The islands are listed in order from north to southwest.

Upper keys
Keys in Biscayne National Park (accessible only by boat) in Miami-Dade County

Transitional keys
Soldier Key
Ragged Keys
Boca Chita Key
Sands Key

True Florida keys, exposed ancient coral reefs
Elliott Key
Adams Key
Reid Key
Rubicon Keys
Totten Key
Old Rhodes Key

Keys in Monroe County
Key Largo
Plantation Key
Windley Key
Upper Matecumbe Key
Lignumvitae Key
Lower Matecumbe Key
(Plantation Key through Lower Matecumbe Key are incorporated as Islamorada, Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo, North Key Largo and Tavernier, all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.)

Middle keys
Craig Key
Fiesta Key
Long Key (formerly known as Rattlesnake Key)
Conch Key
Duck Key
Grassy Key
Crawl Key
Long Point Key
Fat Deer Key
Key Vaca
Boot Key
Knight's Key
Pigeon Key
(Key Vaca, Boot Key, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key, Knight's Key and Grassy Key are incorporated in the city of Marathon)[12]

Lower keys
Little Duck Key
Missouri Key
Ohio Key (also known as Sunshine Key)
Bahia Honda Key
Spanish Harbor Keys
West Summerland Key
No Name Key
Big Pine Key
Little Torch Key
Middle Torch Key
Big Torch Key
Ramrod Key
Summerland Key
Knockemdown Key
Cudjoe Key
Sugarloaf Key
Park Key
Lower Sugarloaf Key
Saddlebunch Keys
Shark Key
Geiger Key
Big Coppitt Key
East Rockland Key
Rockland Key
Boca Chica Key
Key Haven (Raccoon Key)
Stock Island
Key West
Sigsbee Park
Fleming Key

Outlying islands
These are accessible by boat.
Sunset Key
Wisteria Island
the Marquesas Keys
the Dry Tortugas