Mayaguana
| District of Mayaguana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Island and district | ||
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.svg) |
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| Coordinates: 22°23′N 72°57′W / 22.383°N 72.950°WCoordinates: 22°23′N 72°57′W / 22.383°N 72.950°W | ||
| Country | Bahamas | |
| Island |
 Mayaguana |
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| Government | ||
| • Type | District Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 280 km2 (110 sq mi) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 277 | |
| • Density | 0.99/km2 (2.6/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) | |
| Area code(s) | 242 | |
Mayaguana is the most easterly island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of only a few Bahamian islands which retain their Lucayan names. The population of Mayaguana in the 2010 census was 277. It has an area of about 280 km2.
About 100 km north of Great Inagua and 560 km southeast of the capital Nassau, Mayaguana is considered the halfway point between South Florida and Puerto Rico and is about 450 nautical miles off Palm Beach, Florida. It is a popular stopover for boaters on a direct route to the eastern Caribbean. It also was one of the first islands that Christopher Columbus landed on during his journey to the new world.
Mayaguana was inhabited by Lucayans prior to the arrival of the Spanish following 1492. After the last of the Lucayans were carried off to Hispaniola by the Spanish early in the 16th century, the island remained uninhabited until 1812, when people began to migrate from the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are located about 100 km southeast.
The Brazilian historian Francisco Adolfo de 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 apparently was the Lucayan name (meaning "Lesser Midwestern Land" ) for the island.
The first steamship to circumnavigate the globe, the Royal Navy sloop HMS Driver, was wrecked on Mayaguana on 3 August 1861, 14 years after the completion of her epic voyage in 1847.
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Wikipedia