The Florida Everglades is a vast natural region of flooded grasslands and wetlands located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. It begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River flowing into Lake Okeechobee, and from there water moves southward across a limestone shelf all the way to Florida Bay at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. The Everglades covers a large area spanning multiple counties including Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Collier, and extends roughly 200 miles long and 80 miles wide in some parts
. Everglades National Park, which protects about the southern 20% of the original Everglades, is situated near the city of Miami and is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. The park stretches from near Kissimmee in the north down to Florida Bay in the south and is accessible via several entrances including from Miami via the Ingraham Highway (FL9336)
. In summary, the Florida Everglades are located in southern Florida, starting near Orlando and Lake Okeechobee and extending southward across the southern tip of the Florida peninsula, encompassing a vast wetland ecosystem that includes Everglades National Park near Miami
