Dry Tortugas - The End of the Florida Keys Quiz

Answer: 67 miles

There is no route by automobile from Key West to the Dry Tortugas so you must take either a plane or watercraft of some kind to get there. A group of nine islands known as the Marqueasas Keys are also located west of Key West by about 20 miles.

Answer: Monroe County

More than 80% of the land area of Monroe County is uninhabited Everglades land. Monroe County was formed in 1823 during the tenure of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Monroe County is the largest county in Florida by total area, and more than 70% of its area of 3,738 square miles is water.

Answer: Juan Ponce de León

Sailing for his homeland of Spain, Juan Ponce de León presided as the first Governor of Puerto Rico. Seeking to discover new lands, Juan Ponce de León sailed northwest from Hispaniola and found a land he named 'La Florida'. On this voyage Juan Ponce de León visited areas along the Florida coast, including the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas.

Answer: Loggerhead Key

In addition to being the largest island of the Dry Tortugas, Loggerhead Key also has the group's highest elevation (10 feet) and a 157 feet tall lighthouse that was completed in 1858. Loggerhead Key is the westernmost island of the Dry Tortugas and even further west is the Tortugas Bank which is a fully submerged coral reef system.

Answer: Bush Key

In addition to sooty terns, there is also a large colony of brown noddies that nest on Bush Key. During certain times of the year, a sand bar forms between Garden Key and Bush Key effectively linking them.

Answer: 91.7°F (33.2°C)

Throughout the year, the average high temperature on the Dry Tortugas is 82.3°F (28.3°C). The coolest month is January when temperatures are on average about 18°F (9°C) cooler than in August. Many big cities in the state of Florida have similar high temperatures, but low temperatures throughout the state have much higher variability.

Answer: In 2012, it was the most visited National Park in the United States.

Dry Tortugas National Park has far fewer visitors than most National Parks. For comparison, in 2012 Great Smoky Mountains National Park had more than ten million visitors while Dry Tortugas received about 60,000. In addition to visiting historic sites, birdwatching, snorkeling, kayaking, and fishing are popular activities for visitors of the Dry Tortugas.

Answer: Fort Jefferson

Fort Jefferson is an impressive site with a hexagonal design, a surrounding moat, and heavy artillery designed to stop incoming enemy ships. Throughout the U.S. Civil War Fort Jefferson remained a Union stronghold and a site for Confederate prisoners of war.

In July 1865 after the Civil War had ended, four individuals including Dr. Samuel Mudd who were involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln were held at Fort Jefferson. In spite of its impressive stature, Fort Jefferson was never technically finished because of its costliness and lack of usage after the Civil War.

Answer: Hurricane Charley

The total damage caused by Hurricane Charley was estimated at $16.3 billion. Hurricane Charley passed through the Dry Tortugas on August 13, 2004 before hitting the Florida mainland and devastating cities like Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte.

Answer: Pensacola

Pensacola is located in the Florida panhandle and with its longitude of 87°12′W it is close to the westernmost point in Florida. By comparison, the longitude of the Dry Tortugas is 82°55′12″W making them about 260 statute miles east of Pensacola. The city of Tampa, Florida is slightly east of the Dry Tortugas, while Miami and Jacksonville are much further east.