Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Georgia
Okefenokee is a vast bog inside a huge, saucer-shaped depression that was once part of the ocean floor. Peat deposits, up to 15 feet thick, cover much of the swamp floor. These deposits are so unstable in spots that one can cause trees and surrounding bushes to tremble by stomping the surface. In fact, Okefenokee is a European rendition of the Indian words meaning "land of the trembling earth."
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
The slow-moving waters of the Okefenokee are tea-colored from the tannic acid released by decaying vegetation. The principle outlet of the swamp, the Suwanee River, originates in the heart of the Okefenokee and drains southwest into the Gulf of Mexico. The swamp's southeastern drainage to the Atlantic Ocean is the St. Mary's River, which forms the boundary between Georgia and Florida.
The swamp contains numerous islands and lakes, along with vast areas of non-forested terrain. Prairies cover about 60,000 acres of the swamp. Once forested, these expanses of marsh were created during periods of severe drought when fires burned out vegetation and the top layers of peat. The prairies harbor a variety of wading birds: herons, egrets, ibises, cranes and bitterns.
The swamp remains one of the oldest and most well preserved freshwater areas in America. In all, the swamp covers an area of 38 miles north to south and 25 miles east to west.
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