Boca Chica Key

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boca Chica Key is an island in the lower Florida Keys approximately 3 miles east of the island of Key West.

U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 6.5—8, east of Key West.

Its name is Spanish for "small mouth", (not "girl mouth" as many assume, since chica used as an adjective in Spanish means small).

It is mainly composed of salt marshes (mangroves) and is the home of the largest Naval Air Station (NAS Key West) in south Florida. The mission of NAS Key West is: "To serve as the Navy's premier pilot training facility for transient tactical aviation squadrons, to maintain and operate facilities, and to provide services and materials in support of this nation's military aviation activities as directed by the Chief of Naval Operations." The Navy's newest adversary detachment has just begun flying operations out of NAS Key West. Fighter Composite Squadron 111's (VFC-111) twelve F-5N and F-5F Tiger fighter aircraft and their pilots will fly adversary training missions against carrier battle groups during their pre-deployment exercises.

Boca Chica Key as seen from the northwest. Several structures of the NAS Key West can be seen.

External links

Historic photos of Boca Chica Key

v t e Florida Keys

Biscayne National Park	Soldier Ragged Boca Chita Sands Elliott Adams Caesar's Rock Meig's Rubicon Reid Porgy Totten Old Rhodes Islandia

Upper keys	Key Largo Island CDP North Tavernier Plantation Island former CDP Windley Upper Matecumbe Tea Table Indian Lignumvitae Lower Matecumbe Islamorada

Middle keys	Craig Fiesta Long Layton Conch Little Duck Key Island CDP Grassy Crawl Long Point Fat Deer Vaca Marathon Key Colony Beach Boot Knight's

Lower keys	Pigeon Money Little Duck Missouri Ohio Sunshine Bahia Honda Spanish Harbor Scout (West Summerland) No Name Big Pine Torch Little Middle Big Ramrod Summerland Knockemdown Cudjoe Sugarloaf Park Lower Sugarloaf Saddlebunch Shark Geiger Big Coppitt Island CDP East Rockland Rockland Boca Chica Raccoon Stock Island Island CDP Key West Island City Sigsbee Fleming Sunset Wisteria

Outlying Islands	Mule Keys Mule Crawfish Archer Joe Ingram Big Mullet Barracouta Cottrell Man Little Mullet Ballast Woman Boca Grande Marquesas Keys Dry Tortugas Tortugas Banks (submerged)

Areas	Florida Bay Dry Tortugas National Park Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary National Key Deer Refuge John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Biscayne Bay Biscayne National Park Key West National Wildlife Refuge Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Florida Reef

Other Topics	Monroe County Conch Republic Overseas Highway Overseas Railroad Card Sound Bridge Jewfish Creek Bridge Seven Mile Bridge Bahia Honda Rail Bridge Fort Jefferson Theater of the Sea Hurricane Wilma 1935 Labor Day hurricane Key Deer Key lime pie Florida Keys Keynoter Key West Citizen

Coordinates: 24°34′39″N 81°41′36″W / 24.5774°N 81.6933°W / 24.5774; -81.6933

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.