The
Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located in the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the
Florida Keys,
United States, about west of
Key West, and west of the
Marquesas Keys, the closest islands. Still further west is the
Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The first Europeans to discover the islands were the
Spanish in 1513, led by explorer
Juan Ponce de León. They are an
unincorporated area of
Monroe County, Florida, and belong to the Lower Keys
Census County Division. With their surrounding waters, they constitute the
Dry Tortugas National Park.