The northwestern part of Florida is a strip of land about 225 miles long, extending from Pensacola Bay to Apalachee Bay, in which are recognized two physiographic regions, “Flatwoods and Hammock Lands,” along the coast, and “Southern Pine Hills,” inland. The coastal region, in which are located most of the sites to be considered, is quite flat and of uniformly low elevation, and includes several contrasting types of landscape. The greater part of the land is occupied by the flatwoods or open groves of longleaf and other pines interspersed with grassy meadows and the hammock lands, which support a denser vegetation characterized by palmetto and hardwoods. Along the major rivers are swamps through which wind creeks and bayous.