Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park

Infobox Protected area
name = Biscayne National Park
iucn_category = II


caption = Sunset at Biscayne National Park
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA
nearest_city = Miami
lat_degrees = 25
lat_minutes = 39
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 80
long_minutes = 5
long_seconds = 0
long_direction = W
area = 172,971 acres (699.99 km²)
established = June 28, 1980
visitation_num = 517,442
visitation_year = 2007
governing_body = National Park Service

Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southern Florida, due east of Homestead. The park preserves Biscayne Bay, one of the top scuba diving areas in the United States. Ninety-five percent of the park is water. In addition, the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 207 mi² (700 km²).

Elliott Key, the park's largest island, is considered the first of the true Florida Keys being formed from fossilized coral reef, i.e. Key Largo limestone. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand.

History

Biscayne National Monument was established on October 18, 1968. The Monument was promoted to National Park status on June 28, 1980.

Attractions

The major attraction of the park is scuba diving or snorkeling on the coral reef inside the bay. It is also possible to take a glass-bottom boat tour of the bay, or rent kayaks to explore the bay and the islands (Florida Keys) in it. While accessing the historic homes of Stiltsville is currently not allowed by casual visitors, these structures may still be observed from boats.

Gallery


External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/bisc/index.htm Biscayne National Park] (official website)
* [http://www.fla-keys.com Florida Keys Tourism Board]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Biscayne National Park —   [bɪs keɪn næʃnl pɑːk], Nationalpark in Florida, USA, 730 km2; gegründet 1980; Meeresabschnitt (Teil der Biscayne Bay) mit lebendem Korallenriff südlich von Miami …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Biscayne National Park — Parc national de Biscayne Parc national de Biscayne Biscayne National Park Catégorie II de la CMAP (Parc national) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Biscayne National Park — Biscayne Nationalpark Der Park besteht zu einem überwiegenden Anteil aus Wasser …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Biscayne National Park — This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Biscayne National Park. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Biscayne National Park, Florida,… …   Wikipedia

  • Biscayne National Park — Preserve, southeastern Florida, U.S. Located 20 mi (32 km) south of Miami, with an area of 172,925 acres (70,035 hectares), it consists mostly of coral reef and water containing some 33 keys that form a north to south chain separating Biscayne… …   Universalium

  • Biscayne National Park — noun a national park in Florida having underwater coral reefs and marine life • Instance Hypernyms: ↑national park • Part Holonyms: ↑Florida, ↑Sunshine State, ↑Everglade State, ↑FL …   Useful english dictionary

  • National Park Service — Arrowhead Agency overview Formed August 25, 1916 Jurisdiction …   Wikipedia

  • national park — noun a tract of land declared by the national government to be public property (Freq. 1) • Hypernyms: ↑park, ↑parkland • Instance Hyponyms: ↑Acadia National Park, ↑Arches National Park, ↑Badlands National Park, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • National Park of American Samoa — IUCN Category II (National Park) …   Wikipedia

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