Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park
	Fort Jefferson on an island in the park
Location:	Florida , United States
Next city:	Key West
Surface:	261.8 km²
Founding:	4th January 1935
Visitors:	56,810 (2018)
	National park map
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The Dry Tortugas National Park is a US national park in the Gulf of Mexico , at the end of the island chain Florida Keys , 70 miles (113 km) west of Key West . The park is located on an area of 262 km² around seven tiny sand and coral islands , which are called Dry Tortugas and is famous for a rich underwater life (marine ecosystem ), colored coral reefs and legends about shipwrecks and sunken treasures . Over 99 percent of the national park is under water.

On one of the islands is Fort Jefferson , a mid-19th century fortress that was never used as a defensive position in a conflict. The US Army used it as a prison until 1874.

Because of its remoteness, Dry Tortugas National Park has one of the most pristine coral reefs in North America with 442 species of fish. Terns , frigate birds and sea turtles have their nesting sites here. The region was declared a National Wildlife Refuge as early as 1908 . In 1935 the fort was placed under protection as a National Monument . In 1992 the protection status was standardized and the Dry Tortugas upgraded to a national park.

As the last resting place for numerous ships, the coral reefs are also an important cultural resource. Due to their location on the edge of the Florida Strait, which has been used intensively as a shipping route since the early colonial times, and due to the long construction work for Fort Jefferson, numerous ships have fallen victim to the reefs of the Dry Tortugas . After the first investigations had already started in the 1970s, a systematic recording was carried out from 1993 by the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit of the American National Park Service. Around 250 ship losses in the area of the Dry Tortugas have so far been determined by archival and other sources. With a systematic recording and measurement on site with the help of GIS , numerous wrecks, wreckage and other artifacts and traces associated with shipwrecks and salvage activities could be documented under water.

There are regular ferry or seaplane connections to the park from Key West . It can also be reached with your own or chartered boat.

Web links

Commons : Dry Tortugas National Park - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

National Park Service: Dry Tortugas National Park (official site; English)
Dry Tortugas Ferry Boat