Everglades
A swampy region in southern Florida, the Everglades are described as a vast, shallow sawgrass (Cladium effusum) marsh with tree islands, wet prairies, and aquatic sloughs, the Everglades historically covered most of southeastern Florida, prior to massive drainage and reclamation projects launched at the turn of the century. The glades constitute the southern end of the Kissimmee Lake Okeechobee Everglades system, which encompasses most of south and central Florida below Orlando. Originally, the Everglades covered an area approximately 40 mi (64 km) wide and 100 mi (161 km) long, or 2.5 million acres, but large segments have been isolated by canals and levees. Today, intensive agriculture in the north and rapid urban development in the east are among the Everglades' various land uses.
Two general habitat regions can be demarcated in the Everglades. The first includes three water conservation areas, basins created to preserve portions of the glades and provide multiple uses, such as water supply. This region is located in the northern Everglades and contains most of the intact natural marsh. The second is the southern habitat, which includes the Everglades National Park and the southern third of the three water conservation areas. The park has been designated a World Heritage Site of international ecological significance, and the Everglades as a whole are one of the outstanding freshwater ecosystems in the United States.
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