Grand Bahamas

Grand Bahama is one of the islands north of the Bahamas at about 90 km from the coast of Florida.Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas by its size. The island is about 160 km long for a maximum width of 28 km.

The Spaniards named the island Gran Bajamar (large deep sea) and it is probably for that appellation Bahamas that the islands take their name.

The future of Grand Bahama for almost two centuries was largely influenced by the deep sea that made coral reefs surrounding the island dangerous for navigation, and push Spaniards (who left the island on the sidelines of routes ravitailement their boats) while attracting pirates who leurraient boats for failures on coral reefs, and then loot.

The Spanish therefore abandoned the island after the enslavement of Indians Lucayas, and the island was annexed by Britain in 1670. The piracy continued to rage during the half century that followed, then the British came to the end. Grand Bahama should remain relatively quiet until the mid-nineteenth century, with only 200 to 400 permanent residents in the town of West End.

In 1834, the cities of Pinder’s point, Russell Town Town and Williams were founded by former slaves in the Bahamas as a result of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. The island experienced an economic boom that at the time of the Civil War through smuggling with the Confederate States of America (especially arms, sugar and cotton). A second expansion will take place with smuggling during Prohibition in the United States.

Around half of the twentieth century, the population of Grand Bahama is about 500 people and the island remains one of the least developed in the Bahamas archipelago.

However the island finally won a stable source of revenue when, in 1955, an American businessman named Wallace Groves reached an agreement with the government to build bahaméen the city of Freeport under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and manage port with the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

Shortly after, Edouard Saint George and Jack Hayward developed tourism in Freeport, which accelerated the development of the city. They équipèrent the city from the airport and then built tourist complex of Lucaya in 1962.

Towns

The main towns on the island are Freeport High Rock, Eight Mile Rock, Hawksbill Creek, Pinder’s Point, Lewis Yard, Hunter’s, Pelican Point, McClean Town and Sweetings Cay.

District

• The island of Grand Bahama is divided into 3 districts:
• East Grand Bahama
• West Grand Bahama
• City of Freeport