Big Cypress Swamp, to the northwest, and Lake Okeechobee are the chief sources of its water.
Low limestone rises rim the area, acting as a natural retaining wall.
The wildlife-rich area is home to such endangered species as the Florida panther, American crocodile, and manatee. Large tracts of land were drained in the late 19th and early 20th cent. A ring dike had been constructed around Lake Okeechobee in the 1920s to prevent hurricanes from blowing water out of the lake, and massive additional flood control projects were undertaken following 1947 hurricanes. At the southwestern end of Florida is Everglades National Park and Expansion, . Licensed from Columbia University Press.