Where Ecological and Social Systems Merge
Mountains and
rivers separate states and governments; oceans separate
continents. The
impact of the only coral reef of Continental North America on
the geography, sociology and economics of the Florida Peninsula
has been profound. Although
reefs are relatively small biological and geological features,
they have greatly influenced our history.
Not so obvious is the influence of the growth of corals
on the biodiversity of the planet, and the social diversity and
productivity of the adjacent lands and peoples.
The first
people to inhabit Florida arrived 10,000 years ago.
Gradually they expanded southwards.
Native Americans first looked across the water to the
Florida Keys as early as 3000 B.C.E.
When the
Europeans arrived to establish colonies in 1492, they traveled
by sea. The
shipping routes of the Spanish Main and later the Gulf of Mexico
ports included passage past the Florida Keys in waters known as
the Florida Straits. This
region is deep, has a swift current, is navigable with the
prevailing trade winds, and is close to Havana—the taxation
port for the Spanish maritime Empire.
The European
discovery of the most southern and western of the Florida Keys,
the Dry Tortugas, is credited to Ponce de Leon in 1513.
Key West’s strategic importance was recognized in the
mid 1800s when Ft. Zachary Taylor and Ft. Jefferson were built.
Later, this became one of the most strategic locations in
the Gulf of Mexico—there is still a U.S. Navy base in Key West
today!
Where Ecological and Social Systems Merge
Wind
and Weather
Reefs &
Wrecks Indigenous
Populations Working
and Playing on the Water
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