The conch shell, an enduring symbol of the Florida Keys, has been used as a maritime signaling device in the region for more than two centuries. The island chain is nicknamed the Conch Republic.

As well as an offbeat musical instrument, the conch shell is an enduring symbol of the Keys. Native-born citizens call themselves "conchs," and the island chain is nicknamed the Conch Republic.

The conch shell has been a symbol of the Florida Keys and the blowing tradition has been in place since the early 1800s when settlers used it as a signaling device. (©2011 CBS Local Media, a ...

The conch shell, symbol of juvenile democratic power on a desert island in William Golding's Lord of the Flies, also harbours a secret power of its own.

The conch shell is the chosen symbol of Key West. The local high school teams are the “Fighting Conchs,” and a giant sculpture of a shell stands outside the school on Flagler Avenue.

Conch shells have been used as signaling devices in the Florida Keys for at least 200 years, and the shell is a symbol of the island chain. Native-born islanders are called Conchs, ...

A Canadian woman and a pediatric cardiologist from Georgia won the men’s and women’s contests at Key West’s annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest, using different techniques to impre… ...

Today the conch shell remains an enduring symbol of the Florida Keys, and the island chain is often called the Conch Republic. Contest entrants included men, women, kids and groups, with winners ...

A Canadian woman and a pediatric cardiologist from Georgia won the men’s and women’s contests at Key West’s annual Conch Shell Blowing Contest, using different techniques to impress Saturday ...