Okefenokee Swamp

Okefenokee Swamp, large subtropical swamp in southeastern Georgia and northeastern Florida. The Okefenokee Swamp is about 72 km (about 45 mi) long and about 40 km (about 25 mi) wide, covering a total area of about 1,710 sq km (about 660 sq mi). The swamp drains southwest to the Gulf of Mexico through the Suwannee River and southeast to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Marys River.

The Okefenokee Swamp is a saucer-like depression lined with low ridges and containing more than 20 islands, numerous freshwater lakes, and about 240 sq km (about 93 sq mi) of prairie. The floor of the swamp is composed of up to 4.6 m (up to 15 ft) of peat (partially decomposed plant matter). The name Okefenokee, derived from a Native American term meaning “trembling ground,” probably refers to the unstable peat floor. Vegetation in the swamp includes cypress forests, water lilies, brush vines, and Spanish moss. Animal life includes alligators, deer, wildcats, opossums, raccoons, and more than 50 species of fish. The swamp is also the winter home for many species of migratory birds.

Native Americans, especially the Seminoles, used the swamp as a hunting ground until 1850, when an armed United States militia drove them out of the swamp because they had been conducting raids on local settlers. Since 1937 most of the swamp has been incorporated into the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The swamp's designation as a refuge preserves the tract as a wilderness with certain limited areas set aside for recreational purposes. In 1974 an interior portion of 1433 sq km (553 sq mi) was designated a national wilderness area to further ensure the protection of the ecosystem.