The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about west of

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within 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 region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Monroe County, Florida Monroe County is a county in the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 82,874. Its county seat is Key West. Monroe County includes the islands of the Florida Keys and comprises the Key West Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. They are protected as part of the

Key West National Wildlife Refuge The Key West National Wildlife Refuge is a 189,497 acre (766.867 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Monroe County, Florida, between Key West, Florida and the Dry Tortugas . Only 2,019 acres (8.171 km2) of land are above sea lev ...

. The Marquesas were used for target practice by the military as recently as 1980. Marquesas Keys 1979 1VEOR00110016

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' ...

, measures . The land area, according to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, is (exactly 6,579,703 m²), the water area (165,744 m²), giving a combined area of (6,745,447 m²), 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 located 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 ...

, 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 Dry Tortugas National Park is a national park located about west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the seven Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The archipelago's ...

are farther west, west of the Marquesas Keys. The central

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. The islands are best known for their excellent sport fishing.

References

External links

Key Names: A Gazeteer 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

See also

References

External links