Florida Keys

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Park and the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, the only living coral reef in the continental United States. The rich underwater life and a number of wrecks attract large numbers of snorkellers and scuba divers. Islamorada claims to be the "sport fishing capital of the world". On Grassy Key is the Dolphin Research Center, where the TV series "Flipper" was filmed. Marathon (pop. 10,000) is the second largest town on the Keys. The new Seven Miles Bridge (1982) leads to the Bahia Honda State Recreational Area, with a beautiful bathing beach. On Big Pine Key is the National Key Deer Refuge, home to the last few hundred of the shy, miniature (only 2ft/60cm high) roe-deer of the Keys.

In the early days, pirates used the Keys as a temporary base during their pillaging runs. However, much of this activity stopped after 1822 when the U.S. Navy began to patrol the waters and built a base in Key West.

The coral reef to the east of the Keys is the only one found in the continental United States. It played a large role in the area's early economic development. When ships crashed into the shallow reefs, locals would salvage the cargo and resell it. This practice, known as "wrecking", was one of the first industries to bring prosperity to the region. Other important regional economic ventures were sponge fishing and cigar manufacturing.