The Everglades: North America's Unique Subtropical Wetland

The Everglades is a vast, slow-moving "river of grass" covering much of southern Florida. It sits entirely on the North American continent, within the United States.

Geographic Context

• Country: United States
• State: Florida (southern tip)
• Coordinates: ~25°–27° N, 80°–81° W
• Watershed: Kissimmee River → Lake Okeechobee → Everglades → Florida Bay / Gulf of Mexico

Why It's Unique

• World's only subtropical peat-based wetland of this scale (~1.5 M acres protected)
• Sawgrass marshes, mangrove forests, hardwood hammocks, pine rocklands, coastal prairies
• Only place where American alligators and American crocodiles coexist
• Critical habitat for endangered Florida panther, manatee, snail kite, wood stork

Human Impact & Restoration

Drainage canals (1900s–1960s) diverted water for agriculture and development, shrinking the Everglades by ~50%. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP, 2000)—the world's largest ecosystem restoration—aims to restore natural flow, water quality, and habitat over 30+ years.

Visiting

Everglades National Park (UNESCO World Heritage, International Biosphere Reserve) offers tram tours, airboat rides (outside park), kayaking, birding (360+ species), and dark-sky camping. Entrances at Homestead (main), Shark Valley, and Gulf Coast.