Biscayne National Park - Definition and Overview

Biscayne
Designation	National Park
Location	Florida USA
Nearest City	Miami, Florida
Latitude	25° 39' N
Longitude	80° 5' W
Area	172,924 acres 69,980 ha
Date of Establishment	June 28, 1980
Visitation	539,307 (2003)
Governing Body	National Park Service
IUCN category	II (National Park)

Biscayne National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southern Florida. 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 coral reef. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand.

History

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

Park boundaries shown on satellite image

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.

External links

• official site: Biscayne National Park (http://www.nps.gov/bisc/index.htm)
• Biscayne National Park Pictures (http://www.nationalparksgallery.com/parks/Biscayne-National-Park)
• Photos of Biscayne National Park - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.biscayne.html)