Mule Keys
The Mule Keys are a group of scattered islets in the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. They are between Template:Cvt west of Key West, separated from it by the Northwest Channel. On the west, they are separated from the Marquesas Keys by the Script error: No such module "convert". wide Boca Grande Channel. They belong to the outlying islands of the Florida Keys. Administratively, they are an unincorporated area of Monroe County. The islets are part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The area of the islets totals Template:Cvt, of which Template:Cvt are land area and Template:Cvt inland water bodies (on three of the keys). The islets are uninhabited except for Mule Key, for which the census of 2000 lists one housing unit with a population of two (park rangers or coast guard).
The United States Government has placed most of this area off limits, as a part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. It is even prohibited to anchor off Man Key and Woman Key in the sand, although Woman Key was a popular destination for day trippers from Key West in the past, which Boca Grande Key still is. Anchoring off the south part of Boca Grande Key is also prohibited; it is permitted only off the northwest portion.[1]
Ballast Key was privately owned by Key West developer David W. Wolkowsky. After Wolkowsky's death in 2018, the island was donated to The Nature Conservancy, which in turn deeded ownership of the land to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. [2]
The easternmost islet, Mule Key, is Template:Cvt west of Sunset Key which is part of Key West city. The westernmost (and largest) islet, Boca Grande Key, is 6 miles (10 km) east of the Marquesas Keys.
12 individual islets are named on detailed topographical maps:
| Block Nr.1) |
Islet | Land Area (m2) |
Inland Waters (m2) |
Total Area (m2) |
Coordinates | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3031 | Mule Key | 52169 | - | 52169 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | easternmost |
| 3032 | Archer Key | 247136 | - | 247136 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | actually two separate islets |
| 3033 | Crawfish Key | 17125 | - | 17125 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| 3034 | Barracouta Key2) | 482627 | 57221 | 539848 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | including tiny islet 430 m south |
| Joe Ingram Key2) | - | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | smallest | |||
| 3035 | Man Key | 358808 | - | 358808 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | actually three separate islets |
| 3036 | Ballast Key | 46801 | 4741 | 51542 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | southernmost |
| 3037 | Woman Key | 317669 | - | 317669 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| 3038 | Boca Grande Key | 741228 | 80416 | 821644 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | largest, westernmost |
| 3039 | Little Mullet Key | 58625 | - | 58625 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| 3040 | Big Mullet Key | 87211 | - | 87211 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | |
| 3041 | Cottrell Key | 215943 | - | 215943 | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | northernmost |
| Mule Keys | 2625342 | 142378 | 2767720 | |||
| 1) of Block Group 3, Census tract 9725, Monroe County, Florida [1]
2) Because Barracouta Key and Joe Ingram Key together form one census block, | ||||||
On nautical maps, the Mule Keys appear like an atoll of Template:Cvt length east–west, and Template:Cvt width north–south (covering a sea area of roughly Template:Cvt, with Mule Key, Crawfish Key, Man Key, Ballast Key, Woman Key and Boca Grande Key along the southern rim (from east to west), and Cottrell Key in the north.
Template:Cvt south of Mule Key, separated from the Mule Keys by West Channel, are three notable submerged reefs, from east to west:
- Eastern Dry Rocks, at Script error: No such module "Coordinates".
- Rock Key, at Script error: No such module "Coordinates".
- Sand Key, at Script error: No such module "Coordinates".
References
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External links
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