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There are 42 bridges connecting more than 100 islands over a 126-mile distance.
Three have been named National Historic Sites (old Seven Mile, Bahia Honda and Long Key). On the Overseas Highway, 18.8 miles comprises bridges -- 15 percent of the total travel time is spent on bridges! (1 mile = 5,280 feet).
Average annual temperature: 80 degrees
Average annual rain average: 40-45 inches
POPULATION: 80,955
Legend has it that in the early 1500's when Spanish explorers first set foot on the coral rock island that is now called Key Largo, they were greeted by the Calusa Indians.
Because of its size, the Spanish named it Cayo Largo (meaning Long Key), the first of a chain of islands jutting south of the Florida peninsula which appeared on the charts of that day.
But it would be another 300 years before anyone would make their outpost on this frontier island.
Today, the mystique of this tropical paradise continues to attract visitors of every age.
The magnificent natural coral reefs a few miles offshore are world renowned for their beauty.
Underwater treasures await divers and snorkelers who enjoy the colorful, tranquil sea life in these clear, tepid, azure waters.
The Everglades National Park, the third largest park in the nation covers more than 2,000 square miles and holds a beauty incomparable to any other place in the world.
Serving as home to nearly 300 varieties of birds, 600 kinds of fish and more than 40 indigenous species of plants, the Everglades is a nature lover's paradise.
South Beach Divers is Miami Beach's only dive center to include the Florida Keys as a part of our weekly dive schedule.
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