The Mule Keys are a group of scattered islets in 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 ...

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 ...

, United States. They are between 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 ...

, separated from it by the Northwest Channel. On the west, they are separated from the

Marquesas Keys The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about west of Key West, in diameter, and largely covered by mangrove forest. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. Th ...

by the wide Boca Grande Channel. They belong to the outlying islands of the Florida Keys. Administratively, 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 ...

of Monroe County. The islets are 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 area of the islets totals , of which are land area and inland water bodies (on three of the keys). The islets are uninhabited except for Mule Key, for which the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000 lists one housing unit with a population of two (park rangers or coast guard). The

United States Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

has placed most of this area off limits, as a part of the

. It is even prohibited to anchor off

Man Key Man Key is an island in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Located in the Outlying Islands of the Florida Keys, it is in the southern Mule Keys that ar ...

and

Woman Key Woman Key is an island in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Located in the Outlying Islands of the Florida Keys, Woman Key is in the southern Mule Keys, ...

in the sand, although Woman Key was a popular destination for day trippers from Key West in the past, which Boca Grande Key still is. Anchoring off the south part of Boca Grande Key is also prohibited; it is permitted only off the northwest portion. Ballast Key was privately owned by Key West developer David W. Wolkowsky. After Wolkowsky's death in 2018, the island was donated to

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

, which in turn deeded ownership of the land to the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

. The easternmost islet,

Mule Key Mule Key is an island in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is within the boundaries of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Located in the Outlying Islands of the Florida Keys, it is the easternmost of the Mule Keys t ...

, is west of

Sunset Key Sunset Key is a residential neighborhood and resort island in the city of Key West, Florida. It is located about off the coast of the island of Key West. The island is privately held among its residents. The island is accessible only by a shuttl ...

which is part of

city. The westernmost (and largest) islet, Boca Grande Key, is 6 miles (10 km) east of the

. 12 individual islets are named on detailed topographical maps: On nautical maps, the Mule Keys appear like an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can ...

of length east–west, and width north–south (covering a sea area of roughly , with Mule Key, Crawfish Key, Man Key, Ballast Key, Woman Key and Boca Grande Key along the southern rim (from east to west), and Cottrell Key in the north. south of Mule Key, separated from the Mule Keys by West Channel, are three notable submerged reefs, from east to west: #Eastern Dry Rocks, at #Rock Key, at # Sand Key, at

References

External links

Census 2000 block statistics
{{authority control Islands of Monroe County, Florida Lists of coordinates Beaches of Monroe County, Florida Islands of the Florida Keys Beaches of Florida Islands of Florida