What is the Okefenokee?
Q: What is the Okefenokee?
A: The Okefenokee is a shallow, 438,000 acre (1,770 km²) peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. It is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.
Q: What does "Okefenokee" mean?
A: Okefenokee is Native American for "land of trembling earth".
Q: How did the swamp form?
A: The swamp was formed over the past 6,500 years by the build-up of peat in a shallow basin on the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal terrace.
Q: Who are "Swampers"?
A: Swampers are longtime residents of the Okefenokee Swamp who are mostly of English ancestry. Due to their isolation, they used Elizabethan phrases and syntax well into the twentieth century.
Q: What happened with Suwanee Canal Company's attempt to drain it?
A: The Suwanee Canal Company attempted to drain it but eventually went bankrupt and most of the swamp was bought by Hebard family from Philadelphia who logged cypress from 1909 to 1927.
Q: How much area does Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge cover?
A: The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge covers 403,000 acres (1630 km²).
Q: What caused wildfires near Waycross in 2007?
A: A wildfire begun by a lightning strike near center of Refuge on May 5, 2007 eventually merged with another wildfire which began near Waycross on April 16 when a tree fell on power line.
