The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about west of
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
, in diameter, and largely covered by
mangrove forest. They are an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
of
Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys
Census County Division. They are protected as part of the
Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The Marquesas were used for target practice by the military as recently as 1980.
Overview
The total area, including the
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
, measures . The land area, according to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, is (exactly 6,579,703 m
2), the water area (165,744 m
2), giving a combined area of , not counting water areas with connection to the open sea, but including small landlocked lakes on the Keys. The group is located at coordinates .
The islands are part of the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...
, separated from the rest of the Florida Keys, which are farther east, by the Boca Grande Channel, which is wide until Boca Grande Key, the westernmost of the
Mule Keys. Only the
Dry Tortugas are farther west, west of the Marquesas Keys.
The central
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
is called Mooney Harbor. The northernmost key is the largest and has a strip of sandy beach free of mangrove. In the past it was known as "Entrance Key". 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 group. Older charts show that two of these keys once were named "Button Island" and "Round Island".
west of the Marquesas Keys is
Rebecca Shoal.
While the islands are uninhabited by humans,
rays,
sharks,
sea turtles, and bird life abound. The
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has designated no-motor and no-access areas to protect nesting, feeding, and roosting birds and nesting turtles.
The islands are also known for
sport fishing.
See also
*
Key West National Wildlife Refuge
*
Pseudo-atoll
References
External links
Key Names: A Gazetteer of the Islands of the Florida Keys
{{authority control
Uninhabited islands of Monroe County, Florida
Lagoons of Florida
Beaches of Monroe County, Florida
Islands of the Florida Keys
Beaches of Florida
Islands of Florida