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Place Name
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Sea Islands
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Place Status (Type)
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islands
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Population
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9,576 (1990)
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Location
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South Carolina, United States, North America
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Latitude
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unknown
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Longitude
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unknown
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Sea Islands
, chain of more than 100 low islands off
the Atlantic coast of S.C., Ga., and N Fla., extending from the Santee
R. to the St. Johns R. The ocean side of the isls. is generally sandy;
the side facing the mainland is marshy. The isls. have a humid,
subtropical climate, with hot summers, warm winters, and rain
throughout the year. Some isls. remain uninhabited; others are resorts
and wildlife sanctuaries. The Intracoastal Waterway passes through the
Sea Isls. The Span. explored and were the first to inhabit the isls.,
setting up missions and garrisons in the 16th cent. These were
abandoned as the English steadily advanced in the area. James
Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia colony, built Fort Frederica on St.
Simons Isl. bet. 1736 and 1754, during the Eng.-Span. struggle for
control of the SE U.S. The ruins of the fort are a natl. monument. The
Sea Isls. were the first important cotton-growing area in N. Amer. In
the early 19th cent., St. Helena and Port Royal Isl. became the seats
of large plantations that grew long-staple, Sea-Isl. cotton. The Union
invasion in the Civil War and the distribution of land by the Federal
govt. to newly freed slaves after the war effected the wealth
of the planters. With the coming of the boll weevil (c.1920), cotton
culture gave way to diversified farming, including the growing of corn,
potatoes, and peanuts; poultry raising, oyster gathering, and fishing
are also important. Morris Isl., Fort Sumter, and other isls. lie in
and around Charleston harbor. Beaufort (1990 pop. 9,576), on Port Royal
Isl., is the main city of the Sea Isls. and is a center of menhaden
fishing. Parris Isl. is the Atlantic coast recruit-training center for
the U.S. marine corps; the area was visited by Fr. Huguenot explorer
Jean Ribault in 1564. St. Simons Isl., Sea Isl., and Jekyll Isl. (also
called the Golden Isles), near Brunswick, Ga., are popular resorts. St.
Simons is joined to the mainland at Brunswick by a causeway. Jekyll
Isl., once the site of a club for N millionaires, is now a state park.
Cumberland Isl., largest of the Sea Isls.,
c.22 mi/35 km long and from 1 to 5 mi
(1.6-8 km) wide, has been designated a natl. seashore. Other
notable isls. are the Isle of Palms, Johns, Edisto, and Hilton Head,
which is a major resort.
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