Galveston Island
| Galveston Island | |
|---|---|
| Waters | Gulf of Mexico |
| Geographical location | 29 ° 17 ′ N , 94 ° 50 ′ W |
 |
|
| length | 43 km |
| width | 5 km |
| surface | 165 km² |
| Highest elevation | 6 m |
| Residents | 58,175 353 inhabitants / km² |
| main place | Galveston |
Galveston Iceland is one of a sandbar formed island on the Texas coast and is located about 80 km southeast of Houston . With the exception of Jamaica Beach, the island lies within the city limits of Galveston .
The island has a maximum height of six meters and is about 43 km long and 5 km wide at its widest point. It has an area of 165 km² and runs from southwest to northeast. The open Gulf of Mexico lies to the south and east, West Bay lies to the west and Galveston Bay joins to the north . The main access to the island is Interstate 45 , which crosses West Bay. The extreme north of the island is separated from the Bolivar Peninsula by Galveston Harbor . This passage is the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel . There is a ferry connection between Galveston Island and Port Bolivar . The southern end is separated from the mainland by the San Luis Pass . This strait is bridged by a toll bridge. There is thus a road connection from the island to Surfside Beach via the Blue Water Highway .
history
Originally, Indians from the Akokisa and Karankawa tribes lived in the area. It is believed that the first European known by name to set foot on the island was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in November 1528 , who made an involuntary stop with his people after a shipwreck on the island.
Jao de la Porta and his brother Morin financed the first permanent European settlement on the island in 1816. Joa de la Porta was a Portuguese Jew by birth who later became a major Texan merchant.
On September 8, 1900, the Galveston Hurricane was the largest known natural disaster to hit North America to date. In the early evening hours, the storm center came here over land and the accompanying storm surge flooded most of the island with the city of Galveston, which was the most populous city in the state of Texas at the time due to its importance as a port city . The city was destroyed by the storm and flood and more than 6000 residents lost their lives within a few hours.
The city could not regain its former importance and Houston developed as a new economic center. To ward off a storm surge, the Galveston Seawall was later built, a 5.2 m high concrete wall that runs along most of the side of the island facing the Gulf of Mexico.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca : The Shipwrecked Men . Penguin , 1542, ISBN 978-0-141-03204-7 .
- ↑ Donald E. Chipman: Malhado Island ( English ) In: Handbook of Texas . Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- ^ Jewish Texans ( English ) University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
Web links
- Handbook of Texas: Galveston Iceland (English)
- Galveston Iceland State Park (English)
- Galveston Island in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey (English)