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LES JARDINS DE FLORIDE

The Keys
The Keys are 800 tiny islands of coral reef that extend from the south of Miami along a length of some 190 kilometres. Today they are the ideal vacation spot for lots of Americans who come here in search of the sun. Pirates and wreck hunters made this their lair for centuries. Key West, at the tip of the archipelago is closer to Cuba than to Miami. Although some archaeologists believe that the islands were first inhabited as far back as 3000 years BC, a significant population only lived here from around the year 100 AD. The first Europeans explored the region at the beginning of the 18th century; Key West was created 100 years later. Accessible only from the sea, pioneers here were sponge or prawn fishermen, or those who worked at the local cigar factory. In 1912 came a revolution, the railroad arrived after years of massive construction work and kilometres of bridges to link the islands. This was the work of Henry Flagler who made his fortune in oil with Rockefeller. Partly destroyed by a hurricane in 1935, the railroad was abandoned in favour of a road. The region quickly attracted tourists but retained a human dimension. It has attracted artists and writers such as Audubon or Hemingway.

Directed by Bernard Vasseur, 2008
Country: France