سانيبل، فلوريدا

سانيبل Sanibel هي جزيرة ومدينة في مقاطعة لي، فلوريدا، الولايات المتحدة. The population was 6,469 at the 2010 census, with an estimated 2018 population of 7,402. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The island, also known as Sanibel Island, constitutes the entire city. It is a barrier island – a collection of sand on the leeward side of the more solid coral-rock of Pine Island.

Sanibel, Florida
City
City of Sanibel
A view looking across to the northern tip of Sanibel from the Captiva side of Blind Pass. The bridge connecting the two islands is visible on the extreme left.
Seal
الشعار:  "A Barrier Island Sanctuary"
Location in Lee County, Florida
الإحداثيات: 26°26′23″N 82°4′50″W
Country	United States
State	فلوريدا
County	Lee County, Florida
Settled	1884
Incorporated (city)	1974
الحكومة
• النوع	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Kevin Ruane (R)
• City Manager	Judie Zimomra (I)
المساحة
• الإجمالي	33٫21 ميل² (86٫01 كم²)
• البر	16٫18 ميل² (41٫90 كم²)
• الماء	17٫03 ميل² (44٫10 كم²)  48.13%
المنسوب	3 ft (0٫9 m)
التعداد  (2010)
• الإجمالي	6٬469
• Estimate  (2019)	7٬401
• الكثافة	457٫42/sq mi (176٫61/km2)
منطقة التوقيت	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• الصيف (التوقيت الصيفي)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	33957
مفتاح الهاتف	239
FIPS code	12-63700
GNIS feature ID	0290637
الموقع الإلكتروني	City of Sanibel Florida Website

Most of the city proper is at the east end of the island. After the Sanibel causeway was built to replace the ferry in May 1963, the city was incorporated in 1974 and the residents asserted control over development by establishing the Sanibel Comprehensive Land Use Plan, helping to maintain a balance between development and preservation of the island's ecology.

Due to easy causeway access, Sanibel is a popular tourist destination known for its shell beaches and wildlife refuges. More than half of the island is made up of wildlife refuges, the largest being J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The Island hosts the Sanibel Historical Village and a variety of other museums including the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and theaters, as well as many non-profit organizations such as the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, and the Sanibel Sea School.

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 التاريخ

منظر الفنار على الطرف الجنوبي لجزيرة سانيبل

Sanibel and Captiva formed as one island about 6,000 years ago. The first known humans in the area were the Calusa, who arrived about 2,500 years ago. The Calusa were a powerful Indian nation who came to dominate most of Southwest Florida through trade via their elaborate system of canals and waterways. Sanibel remained an important Calusa settlement until the collapse of their empire, soon after the arrival of the Europeans.

 الجغرافيا

شاطئ بالقرب من الطرف الغربي لسانيبل

Sanibel is located at 26°26′23″N 82°4′50″W (26.439608, -82.080456). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.16 square miles (85.9 km²), of which 17.21 square miles (44.6 km²) is land and 15.96 square miles (41.3 km²) (48.13%) is water.

 الديمغرافيا

التعداد التاريخي
التعداد	Pop.		%±
1980	3٬363		—
1990	5٬468		62٫6%
2000	6٬064		10٫9%
2010	6٬469		6٫7%
2019 (تق.)	7٬401		14٫4%
U.S. Decennial Census

 البيئة

Marsh rabbits are common in Sanibel

The island's curved shrimp-like shape forms Tarpon Bay on the north side of the island. It is linked to the mainland by the Sanibel Causeway, which runs across two small manmade islets and the Intracoastal Waterway. A short bridge links Sanibel Island to Captiva Island over Blind Pass. The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel is the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the study of shells. The Gulf-side beaches are excellent on both Sanibel and Captiva, and are world-renowned for their variety of seashells, which include coquinas, scallops, whelks, sand dollars, and many other species of both shallow-water and deeper-water mollusks, primarily bivalves and gastropods. Sanibel Island is home to a significant variety of birds, including the roseate spoonbill and several nesting pairs of bald eagles. Birds can be seen on the beaches, the causeway islands, and the reserves, including J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Common sights include pelicans, herons, egrets, and anhingas, as well as the more common birds like terns, sandpipers, and seagulls.

Loggerhead turtle track on a beach in Sanibel

There is a population of American alligators on Sanibel Island. A lone rare American crocodile had been seen at the Wildlife Refuge for over 30 years, but she died in 2010 of unseasonably cold winters or old age. A memorial was set up at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge honoring "Wilma", as she was known by the residents. A new crocodile was introduced in May 2010 when she was found on a private property and relocated to J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Plants on the island include the native sea grape, sea oats, mangroves, and several types of palm trees. The Australian pine is an introduced species that has spread throughout the island, to some extent overpowering native vegetation and trees. Once mature, the pine blocks sunlight and drops a thick bed of pine needles that affect the soil's pH and prevents new native growth. The ground is very soft under these pines.

The local form of the marsh rice rat has been recognized in some classifications as a separate subspecies, Oryzomys palustris sanibeli.

 ملاجئ الحياة البرية

Bobcats are sometimes seen in Sanibel

Preserving the island's natural ecology has always been important to its citizens and visitors alike. A driving force in the preservation of the island is the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation which was founded in 1967 with a mission to "preserve natural resources and wildlife habitat on and around the islands of Sanibel and Captiva." 1,300 acres (5.3 km²) of land on Sanibel are under the supervision of the Foundation; included in this land there is a "Marine Laboratory which actively conducts research in areas including seagrasses, mangroves, harmful algal blooms, fish populations and shellfish restoration." Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation also has a project called RECON (River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network) which includes a "network of eight in-water sensors that provide real-time, hourly readings of key water quality parameters." The foundation also serves to protect the wildlife on the island and has a variety of education programs designed to instruct people about the island's unique ecology.

 الشواطئ والقواقع

A view looking north on the beach at West Gulf Drive Beach access point #7, Sanibel, Lee County, Florida. The whitish objects are all shells, and so are some of the brown objects.

 البنية التحتية

A view looking toward the mainland from the bay side of Sanibel shows the causeway in the distance.

Night Moves was filmed on the Island in 1975, directed by Arthur Penn. It stars Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark and features early career appearances by James Woods and Melanie Griffith.

 وصلات خارجية

• Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce Official website for businesses on Sanibel Island and Captiva Island
• City of Sanibel Florida Website Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more
• Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau Information regarding travel and tourism to and around Sanibel Island