Tourist Guide Eleuthera
Eleuthera lies 50 miles east of Nassau. It is a very long and narrow island,
in some places no more than 1 mile wide. The name is a reference to a group
of puritan pilgrims who arrived in 1648, fleeing persecution in England and
the Bahamas; the word Eleuthera is a derivation of the Greek word for ‘free’.
The island was originally populated by Taino-Arawaks, who were later deported
by the Spanish to work in the mines in Hispaniola. Eleuthera was a prosperous
industrial centre between 1950 and 1980. When The Bahamas became independent
in 1973, the foreign ownership policies changed, leading to the abandonment
of Eleuthera’s large resorts and agricultural businesses. Today, Eleuthera
boasts only one resort with 23 rooms, and almost 80% of the island’s population
is unemployed.
Eleuthera is divided into two regions. South Eleuthera encompasses Governor’s
Harbour, the administrative capital, Rock Sound, Tarpum Bay, the island’s
last remaining fishing village, and Bannerman Town. North Eleuthera includes
Spanish Wells, The Bluff, Gregory Town, Hatchet Bay, and Harbour Island, Eleuthera’s
neighbouring island and home of some of the best boat builders in the Bahamas.
Max: 88° F
Min: 70° FRelated Contents
| Nassau - 52.3 mi | |
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The Bahamas is made up of 700 islands and cays in the Atlantic Ocean, situated
between Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean. The tropical climate makes the islands
attractive to... |
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