Mayaguana

Mayaguana is the most easterly island and district of the Bahamas, and one of only two of which retain their Arawak names.

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 Island 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 Island 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 Island is the mailboat which transports the mail once a week.

Get out in the sun and enjoy peaceful beaches surrounded by a spectacular diving reef. And if you want to check out the local life, visit the shops, bars and restaurants in the three main settlements -- Abraham's Bay, Betsy Bay and Pirate's Well.

Districts of the Bahamas
Acklins \| Berry Islands \| Bimini \| Black Point \| Cat Island \| Central Abaco \| Central Andros \| Central Eleuthera \| Freeport \| Crooked Island \| East Grand Bahama \| Exuma \| Grand Cay \| Harbour Island \| Hope Town \| Inagua \| Long Island \| Mangrove Cay \| Mayaguana \| Moore's Island \| New Providence \| North Abaco \| North Andros \| North Eleuthera \| Ragged Island \| Rum Cay \| San Salvador \| South Abaco \| South Andros \| South Eleuthera \| Spanish Wells \| West Grand Bahama

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