Inagua

District of Inagua
District
Coordinates: 25°4′N 77°20′W / 25.067°N 77.333°W / 25.067; -77.333
Country The Bahamas Bahamas
Island Great Inagua
Established 1800
Government
 • Type District Councils
 • Sr. Chief Councillor Ronald Roker
 • Sr.Deputy Chief Councillor Colin Ingraham
 • Jr.Deputy Chief Councillor Dometrius Taylor
Area
 • Total 1,679 km2 (648 sq mi)
Population (2008)
 • Total ~1,000
 • Density 0.59/km2 (1.5/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Area code(s) 242

Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas, comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.

Description

Great Inagua is the third largest island in the Bahamas at 596 sq mi (1544 km2) and lies about 55 miles (89 kilometres) from the eastern tip of Cuba. The island is about 55 by 19 mi (89 by 31 km) in extent, the highest point being 108 ft (33 m) on East Hill. It encloses several lakes, most notably the 12-mile (19 km) long Lake Windsor (also called Lake Rosa) which occupies nearly a quarter of the interior. The population of Great Inagua is 969 (2000 census).

The island's capital and only harbour is Matthew Town, named after George Matthew, a 19th-century Governor of the Bahamas. This town houses the Morton Salt Company’s main facility, producing one million tonnes of sea salt a year — the second largest solar saline operation in North America and Inagua's main industry. Great Inagua Airport (IATA: IGA, ICAO: MYIG) is located nearby.

There is a large bird sanctuary in the centre of the island with a population of more than 80,000 West Indian flamingoes and many other bird species, including the Bahama parrot, Inagua woodstar, Bahama pintail, brown pelican, tricolored heron, snowy egret, reddish egret, stripe-headed tanager, double-crested cormorant, Neotropic cormorant, roseate spoonbill, American kestrel, and burrowing owl.

The neighbouring Little Inagua five miles (8 km) to the northeast is uninhabited and occupied by a large Land and Sea Park. It is 30 sq mi (78 km2) and has herds of feral donkeys and goats (descendants of stock introduced by the French). Little Inagua has a large protective reef that prevents boats from coming too close, extending up to a mile away from the island in all directions around it.

The original settler name Heneagua was derived from a Spanish expression meaning 'water is to be found there'. Two names of apparent Lucayan origin, Inagua (meaning "Small Eastern Island") and Baneque (meaning "Big Water Island") were used by the Spanish to refer to Great Inagua.[1]

Local legend has it that Henri Christophe, King of Haiti from 1811 to 1820, buried treasure at the Northeast Point of Great Inagua where he had a summer retreat.

Several documented treasure laden ships were destroyed on Inaguan reefs between the years of 1500 and 1825. The two most valuable wrecks lost off the Inaguas were treasure-laden Spanish galleons: the Santa Rosa (1599) and the Infanta (1788). Other ships of considerable value were the British HMS Statira and HMS Lowestoffe in 1802, and the French Le Count De Paix in 1713.

In popular culture

Games

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ Julian Granberry and Gary S. Vescelius. (2004) Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles. The University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-5123-X p. 83

Further reading

Klingel, Gilbert. The Ocean Island (Inagua). Dodd, Mead: New York, 1940.

External links

Coordinates: 21°03′25″N 73°25′28″W / 21.05682°N 73.424377°W / 21.05682; -73.424377

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