Tourist Guide Cat island
Europeans first settled Cat Island, in the central Bahamas, when Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution arrived in 1783. It is thought that the island is named after Arthur Catt, a pirate active in the surrounding waters. The 48-mile-long, 4-mile-wide island is the sixth largest in the Bahamas. Year-round warm temperatures are moderated by trade winds, giving Cat Island one of the Bahamas’ most pleasant climates.
Cat Island boasts the highest point in the Bahamas, Mount Alvernia, whose peak of over 63 metres is topped by a monastery called The Hermitage. While cotton was once the island’s main crop, slash and burn farming is now the most common practice. The main commercial crop today is cascarilla bark, which is sent to Italy for use in medicines, scents, and the famous Campari liquor.
The main settlements on Cat Island are Arthur’s Town, Orange Creek, and
Port Howe. The 1700 inhabitants of Cat Island are famous for their ingenuity,
using mainly the materials at hand to make all their necessary products, and
creating straw hats and bags for sale to tourists.
