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Benchmarks: November 16, 1990: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is established
by Bethany Augliere Friday, October 12, 2018
Designated in November 1990, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects nearly 10,000 square kilometers of ocean surrounding the islands, including North America s only barrier reef. Credit: K. Cantner, AGI.
Off the tip of the Florida Peninsula lies the world’s third-largest living coral reef, the Great Florida Reef. The only barrier reef system in North America, it is composed of a system of individual reefs that together extend 270 kilometers south of Miami through the Florida Keys, a crescent-shaped chain of more than 1,500 islands, about 30 of which are inhabited. This ecological treasure is home to more than 6,000 species of marine life, including colorful fish and endangered sea turtles, as well as extensive seagrass beds, mangrove islands and about 1,000 shipwrecks.