Dry Tortugas overview map

The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about 113 kilometers (70 mi) west of Key West, and 60 km (37 mi) west of the Marquesas Keys, at 24°38′00″N, 82°55′12″W, the closest islands. Still further west is the Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The islands were discovered in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. With their surrounding waters, they constitute the Dry Tortugas National Park. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x848, 41 KB) Summary file available at http://sherpaguides. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x848, 41 KB) Summary file available at http://sherpaguides. ... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Map of Key West Key West is a city located in Monroe County, Florida. ... The Marquesas Keys are a small a group of islands about thirty miles west of Key West, Florida External links http://historicpreservation. ... The Tortugas Bank is the westernmost feature of the Florida Keys, but it is a submarine feature, wholly submerged, without any islands or above-water rocks. ... Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León (c. ... In United States law, a region of land is unincorporated if it is not a part of any municipality. ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. ... Minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau to designate the primary governmental and/or administrative subdivisions of a county, such as a civil township, precinct, or magisterial district. ... Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. ...

Geography

The keys are low and irregular, and have a thin growth of mangrove. In general, they rise abruptly from deep water. They are continually changing in size and shape. The Tortugas Atoll has had up to 11 islets during the past two centuries. Some of the smaller islands have disappeared and reappeared multiple times as a result of hurricane impact. Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ... Portion of a Pacific atoll showing two islets on the ribbon or barrier reef separated by a deep pass between the ocean and the lagoon. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...

Islands (keys)

Dry Tortugas location in Florida

The total area of the islets, some of which are little more than sand bars just above the water mark, is about 580,000 square meters (143 acre). Their area changes over time as wind and waves reshape them. There are seven islets, which are from West to East: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ...

• Loggerhead Key, with Dry Tortugas lighthouse' (46 meters high), 250 by 1200 meters in size, with an area of 260,000 m² the largest, 1 meter high,
• Garden Key, with Fort Jefferson and the inactive Garden Key lighthouse (20 meters high), 4 km east of Loggerhead Key. Garden Key is the second largest island in the chain, at 400 by 500 meters in size, with an area of 170,000 m². The original size, before construction of Fort Jefferson, has been estimated at 30,350 to 35,610 m².
• Bush Key, formerly named Hog Island because of the hogs that were raised there to provide fresh meat for the prisoners at Fort Jefferson, just a few meters east of Garden Key. At times, Bush Key is connected to Garden Key by a sand bar. The island is the third largest, 150 by 900 meters in size, area 120,000 m², less than 1 meter high. Bush Key is the site of a large tern rookery. It is closed to visitors from April to September to protect nesting Sooty Terns and Brown Noddys.
• Long Key, 50 meters south of the eastern end of Bush key, 50 by 200 meters in size, area 8,000 m²
• Hospital Key, so called because a hospital for the inmates of Fort Jefferson had been built there in the 1870s. The island was formerly called Middle Key or Sand Key. It lies 2.5 km northeast of Garden Key and Bush Key, 70 meters in diameter, area 4,000 m², and is 1 meter high at its highest point.
• Middle Key, 2.5 km east of Hospital key, 90 meters in diameter, area 6,000 m²
• East Key, 2 km east of Middle Key, 100 by 200 meters in size, area 16,000 m², over 2 meters high

The three westernmost keys, which are also the three largest keys (Loggerhead Key, Garden Key, and Bush Key), make up about 93 percent of the total land area of the group. The Dry Tortugas Light is located on Loggerhead Key, three miles west of Fort Jefferson, Florida (24° 38. ... Dry Tortugas National Park is a United States National Park, located in the Dry Tortugas islands of the Florida Keys. ... The Garden Key lighthouse, also known as the Tortuga Harbor lighthouse, is located at Fort Jefferson, on Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas, Florida. ... Genera Sterna (Gelochelidon) (Hydroprogne) (Thalasseus) Chlidonias Phaetusa Anous Procelsterna Gygis Larosterna Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily Sterninae of the gull family Laridae. ... A sea lion rookery at Monterey, California Birds A rookery is a nesting colony of birds. ... Binomial name Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 The Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ... Binomial name Anous stolidus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Brown Noddy or Common Noddy Anous stolidus is a seabird from the tern family. ...

Former islands

Formerly existing keys were, from West to East:

• Southwest Key, disappeared by 1875, today a shoal south off Loggerhead Reef
• Bird Key (formerly Booby Key), was about 1.5 km southwest of Garden Key, disappeared in 1935, current names in the area are Bird Key Bank and Bird Key Harbor
• North Key, probably identical with former Booby Island, current name in the area is North Key Harbor, an anchorage WSW of Pulaski Shoal, disappeared by 1875
• Northeast Key (earlier called Sand Key), was between East Key and North Key, slightly to the North, disappeared by 1875

Look up Shoal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A stocked ships anchor. ...

Shoals with lights

• Pulaski Shoal (Pulaski Reef), marking the northeast edge of the group at 24°41′36″N, 82°46′24″W, is not an island, but the former location of the Pulaski Shoal Light.
• Iowa Rock, halfway between Garden Key and Hospital Key, is another site of a navigational light (and weather station) built in shallow water. It was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, with three bare stumps left.

The unmanned reef lights of the Florida Keys were erected between 1921 and 1935. ... Lowest pressure 918 mbar (hPa; 27. ...

Environment

Bush Key (background) seen from Garden Key (foreground), with Long Key in the very back right

The islands get their name from their distinctive characteristics: Dry because none of the islands have fresh water and Tortugas because seafarers stopped at the islands to take sea turtles, which they kept on their backs in the holds of sailing ships and butchered when they wanted fresh meat. They are not related to the Caribbean island of Tortuga, near Hispaniola. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1784x1124, 1404 KB) Summary http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1784x1124, 1404 KB) Summary http://www. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Tortuga (disambiguation). ... Early map of Hispaniola The island of Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ...

The islands are home to Dry Tortugas National Park, and are only accessible by boat or seaplane. The large seabird colony, including Sooty Terns, Brown Noddy, Masked Booby and Magnificent Frigatebird, and the regular occurrence of Caribbean vagrant birds makes them a popular birding destination. Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. ... A boat is a watercraft designed to float on, and provide transport over, water. ... A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ... Colonial seabirds in Hawaii. ... Binomial name Sterna fuscata Linnaeus, 1766 The Sooty Tern, Sterna fuscata, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ... Binomial name Anous stolidus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Brown Noddy or Common Noddy Anous stolidus is a seabird from the tern family. ... Binomial name Sula dactylatra (Lesson, 1831) The Masked Booby, Sula dactylatra, is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. ... Binomial name Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) was sometimes previously known as Man OWar, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds. ... Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. ... Birding or birdwatching is a hobby concerned with the observation and study of birds (the study proper is termed American origin; birdwatching is (or more correctly, was) the commonly-used word in Great Britain and Ireland and by non-birders in the United States. ...

History

The islands were discovered in 1513 by the Spanish Explorer Ponce De Leon. They were then given the name Las Tortugas (The Turtles) due to the abundance of sea turtles found on the islands and shoals. Soon afterword, the word 'Dry' was added to the name to indicate to mariners of the islands lack of fresh water. See also Agueybana Hayuya Jumacao Discoverer of the Americas Categories: People stubs | 1460 births | 1521 deaths | History of Puerto Rico | Conquistadores ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, from northeast

In 1742 HMS Tyger wrecked in the Dry Tortugas. The stranded crew lived on Garden Key for 56 days, and fought a battle with a Spanish sloop, before sailing to Jamaica in several boats.^[1] Download high resolution version (1200x796, 1037 KB) Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. ... Download high resolution version (1200x796, 1037 KB) Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. ... HMS Tyger or Tiger was the name of several Royal Navy ships. ...

In 1861, the United States government completed Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, and this bastion remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War. It later was used as a prison until abandoned in 1874. During the 1880s, the Navy established a base at Tortuga; and it subsequently set up a coaling (refueling) and a wireless (radio) station there as well. During World War I, a seaplane base was established on the islet, but it was abandoned soon thereafter. Dry Tortugas National Park is a United States National Park, located in the Dry Tortugas islands of the Florida Keys. ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

An account of a visit to the fort at the Dry Tortugas by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Justice-to-be Robert H. Jackson can be found in the book, That Man: An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, by Robert H. Jackson, edited and introduced by John Q. Barrett (Oxford University Press, New York, 2003). FDR redirects here. ... Robert Houghwout Jackson (February 13, 1892–October 9, 1954) was United States Attorney General (1940–1941) and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1941–1954). ... Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ...

In August 2004, the Dry Tortugas were directly struck by Hurricane Charley. The following day, a Cessna airplane crashed into the water near the islands, killing cinematographer Neal Fredericks while he was filming scenery for the feature film Cross Bones. Lowest pressure 941 mbar (hPa) Damage $16 billion (2004 USD) $16. ... Cessna Aircraft Company, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, from small two-seat, single-engine aircraft to business jets. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... A Cameraman-Reporter during a MINUSTAH mission in 2007 (Photo: Patrick-André Perron A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). ... Neal L. Fredericks (July 24, 1969 in Newport Beach, California - August 14, 2004 in the Florida Keys) was a motion picture cinematographer, most famous for The Blair Witch Project, noted and praised by critics for its distinctive cinéma vérité style of camera work. ...

Visiting the Dry Tortugas

Because it is located 70 miles West of Key West, the Dry Tortugas park is one of the more inaccessible National Parks in the U.S. Visiting the park by private boat is difficult because of its distance, so most visitors come by ferry, catamaran, or seaplane from Key West, Florida. Official ferry and transportation services to the Dry Tortugas includes the Yankee Freedom II, Sunny Days, and the Key West Seaplane Service.

Graphics

View of moat and ocean from window at Fort Jefferson. March, 2004. Lambard, Christina.

Map of Garden Key with Fort Jefferson

Pulaski Shoal Light

Dry Tortugas detail map

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 452 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1232 × 1632 pixel, file size: 431 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 452 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1232 × 1632 pixel, file size: 431 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Dry Tortugas National Park is a United States National Park, located in the Dry Tortugas islands of the Florida Keys. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (593x827, 222 KB) Summary US NPS map, available at http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (593x827, 222 KB) Summary US NPS map, available at http://www. ... Dry Tortugas National Park is a United States National Park, located in the Dry Tortugas islands of the Florida Keys. ... Image File history File links Pulaskishoal. ... Image File history File links Pulaskishoal. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2452x2061, 1460 KB) Summary US NPS map, available at http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2452x2061, 1460 KB) Summary US NPS map, available at http://www. ...

References

1. ^ The Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys - The British Castaways of HMS Tyger - Retrieved July 6, 2007

• Dry Tortugas National Park Official National Park Service Site
• Unofficial Site

is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

See Also

• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Florida Keys
• Caribbean
• Ponce De Leon

Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. ... Palm trees in Islamorada The Florida Keys is an archipelago of about 1700 islands in the southeast United States. ... “West Indian” redirects here. ... See also Agueybana Hayuya Jumacao Discoverer of the Americas Categories: People stubs | 1460 births | 1521 deaths | History of Puerto Rico | Conquistadores ...

External links

• Topographic and Floristic Change of the Dry Tortugas Keys, with description and areas of keys
• Dry Tortugas National Park by Park Vision A Photographic Guide to the Park.
• Dry Tortugas Satellite View Google Maps
• History and Ecology of Mangroves in the Dry Tortugas