BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK

national park off the southeastern coast of Florida, U.S., 20 miles (32 km) south of Miami. Authorized as Biscayne National Monument in 1968 (with a boundary change in 1974), it became a national park in 1980. It consists mostly of coral reef and water containing about 33 keys, or islands, that form a north-south chain separating Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Its area is 173,039 acres (70,026 hectares).