Mayaguana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mayaguana is the most easterly island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of only two Bahamian islands which retain their Arawak names, the other being Inagua.

The largest settlement is Abraham's Bay on the south coast, other settlements are Betsy Bay in the east and Pirate's Well in the north.

Mayaguana has never seen major development, being only settled gradually after 1812 by people from the Turks and Caicos Islands. The population of Mayaguana in the 2000 census was 259.

The Brazilian historian Antonio Varnhagen suggested in 1824 that Mayaguana is Guanahani, the first island visited by Christopher Columbus at his discovery of the Americas. His theory has found little support.

Mayaguana was uninhabited until 1812, when people began to migrate from the nearby Turks Islands. Located 60 miles north of Inagua, Mayaguana Island is a popular stopover for yachtsmen on a direct route to the Caribbean.

Mayaguana is home to 312 locals and the Bahama Hutia -- a cross between a rat and a rabbit that was thought to be extinct until the mid-1960s. Most people make a living fishing and farming the fertile soil of this woody terrain. The main form of communication on Mayaguana is the mailboat which transports the mail once a week.