According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.07%) is land and (or 0.93%) is water.
Parks in the county include Lafayette Blue Springs State Park and Troy Springs State Park, both accessible to the Suwannee River.
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,022 people, 2,142 households, and 1,591 families living in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.27% White, 14.37% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 9.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,142 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were not related. 22.00% of all households were made up of people living alone and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 148.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 157.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,020. Males had a median income of $25,030 versus $22,007 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,087. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.
Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele was one of the biggest battles of the First World War. It happened between July and November 1917. Allied troops attacked the German Army in many operations. The Allies were commanded by British leaders. The battle was fought for control of a village named Passchendaele. Passchendaele is near the town of Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium. The purpose of the battle was to "wear out the enemy" and "to secure the Belgian coast and connect with the Dutch front lines". The British commander was Douglas Haig. He planned the battle in three parts. These were capturing Passchendaele Ridge, moving to capture Roeselare, and Operation Hush. In Operation Hush, marines were to land somewhere on the Belgian coast and there would be a breakout attack from Nieuwpoort and the Yser bridgehead.
The British launched many massive attacks. They were helped a lot by artillery, aircraft and sometimes tanks. The British did not win. This is because they were up against a large and modern German defense. The British and French armies eventually became tactically better, and came close to winning later in the year.
The battle was made up of 'bite and hold' attacks. This captured ground that could be useful. It also wore down the German army with attacks and counter-attacks by the German army to stop the Allied attacks and take back ground. It lasted until the Canadian Corps captured Passchendaele on 6 November 1917. The battle ended on 10 November, apart from small operations. Causing huge casualties for the Germans, the Allies had captured 5 miles (8 km) of some of the best defended territory in the world. They lost 140,000 men. This is a ratio of about 2 inches (5 cm) of ground taken by every dead soldier. The Germans took back the lost ground when the line was shortened five months later, during the Battle of the Lys, losing it forever on 28 September 1918.
Passchendaele has become popular with the misery of grinding attrition warfare. This type of warfare was often fought in thick mud. The land between Dixmude and the river Lys was crossed by streams and ditches that were used for drainage. Most of these flowed west, moving towards the Ypres—Commines canal which went north-south. The land was flat and swampy but for good drainage. August 1917 was very cold and wet. This was not usual. Very big artillery strikes had also destroyed the ground surface. There were times where it was dry. It was most dry in September, but mud was still in parts of the battlefield. Tanks got stuck in mud and some soldiers and horses drowned in it.
Ridges went in a curve pattern from south of Ypres, east then north to Passchendaele and Staden. They were sixty metres high at the most. This high ground had been fought over a lot since 1914.
Many historians have different opinions on this battle. Most of this debate is in Britain. The volume of the British Official History of the War that wrote about the Battle of Passchendaele was the last ever published. Some people say that it was written to make Field Marshal Douglas Haig look better, and to make General Hubert Gough, the commander of the Fifth Army, look worse. The many dead and injured men the British Army had only to capture a very small amount of land have made many historians follow the example of David Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister at the time, and use it as an example of wasting soldiers and being a bad leader. Lloyd George, who was almost certainly affected by Basil Liddell Hart, wrote 100 pages of memoirs to a review of British generalship at Third Ypres.
There is also a revisionist way of thinking which tries to say that the British Army did well in the battle. Revisionists say that the British caused many casualties in the German Army, helped the French and came up with attack tactics which could win against German defenses. These tactics made the Germans want winter to come badly. Revisionists say that these things were important in winning the war in 1918.
Death and injury amounts for the battle are still not decided on. Some people say that the Allies suffered much heavier losses than the Germans. Others say different things. However, nobody says that hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides were not killed or hurt. The last survivor of the battle, who was also the last survivor of the Western Front in the United Kingdom, Private Harry Patch, died on 25 July 2009.
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 population for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala.
Marion County is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Marion County was created in 1844 from portions of Alachua, Mosquito (Orange), and Hillsborough counties. Until 1853, Marion County included most of what are now Lake and Sumter counties. The county is named after General Francis Marion of South Carolina, a guerilla fighter and hero of the American Revolutionary War. Many of the early settlers of Marion County were from South Carolina. The county motto is "Kingdom of the Sun." Farms in the county are known for breeding champion race horses such as Affirmed and Needles.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 94.94%) is land and (or 5.06%) is water.
Marion County is generally composed of rolling hills, some high and some low. The majority of its trees consist of live oaks, pine, and palm trees. Marion County is considered the southernmost county in North Central Florida, and the northernmost county in Central Florida.
It is about a two hour drive from many of Florida's major cities. Orlando is 75 minutes to the southeast while Daytona Beach is about 90 minutes to the east. Tampa is about 75 minutes to the southwest. Jacksonville is roughly a two hour drive northeast. Miami is about five hours to the southeast. Fort Lauderdale is about a four-hour drive from Marion County.