Glenn’s Guide to Exuma

Bahamas at a Glance

Location
The 100,000–square-mile archipelago of the Bahamas begins 50 miles off Florida’s east coast at the island of Bimini and stretches 500 miles southeast in a chain of 700 islands and cays in the Atlantic Ocean.

Name
Exuma is one of the few original Taino names still attached to the country.

Some Bahamas History
Columbus “discovered” the New World, when he landed on the Bahamian Island of San Salvador in 1492. During the late 17th century, the islands became a hotbed of pirates and privateers who preyed upon merchant ships. The Bahamas became a crown colony of Great Britain in 1717. Slavery was fully abolished in 1838. Limited self-rule was granted in 1964, and the Bahamas became an independent, self-governing nation in 1973.

Population
Nearly two thirds of the population of 350,000 resides on New Providence. Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Exuma more than doubled to 7,300, reflecting the construction of large and small resorts.

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