Joanie Herbert, age 10, of Birmingham, Ala., for her question:

WHO OWNS THE OKEFENOKEE SWAMP?    

A marshy, tropical wilderness about 40 miles long and about 30 miles wide in southeastern Georgia and northeastern Florida, is called the Okefenoke Swamp. Most of it was bought by the United States government in 1937 and 293,826 acres located in Georgia were set aside as a wildlife refuge.

Okefenokee comes from the Indian word meaning "trembling earth." It refers to the trembling of the small bushes and water weeds that float on the lakes of Okefenokee.

Fine timberlands and fresh water lakes lie next to the marshy stretches. The region is drained by the St. Marys and Suwannee rivers. Other bodies of water wind through the swamp. There are about 25 islands.

Today as a government preserve, Okefenokee is the home of many animals, including deer, bears, wildcats, otters, raccoons, opossums and alligators. It's also the winter refuge of many birds that spend the summer in the North. And there are about 50 different kinds of fish in the swamp's water.