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Nassau, BHS
Updated 06 February 2012 04:00
Cloudy | 23°C | High: 25°C
Low: 21°C
Wind: 7 kph
Humidity: 94%
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| | Explore Long Island
"The Most Beautiful Island In The World!"
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Discover where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492 . He named the island Fernandina and wrote in his shiplogs: ".... this is the most beautiful island in the World!"
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"Cape Santa Maria Beach, located at Stella Maris, is frequently ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world."
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"Dean's Blue Hole is the world's deepest blue hole (underwater sinkhole), which plunges 202 metres (663 ft) to the ocean floor, in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas."
Long Island is an island in the Bahamas that is split by the Tropic of Cancer. Its capital is Clarence Town. Long Island is one of the Districts of the Bahamas and is known as the most scenic island in 
Long Island, Bahamas,
Image courtesy of image
science & analysis laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Centre
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the Bahamas. The population is roughly 4,000 inhabitants.GeographyLong Island is 80 miles (about 130 kilometers) long and 4 miles (6 km) wide at its widest point. The land area is 173 square miles. Long Island is situated about 165 miles (265 km) southeast of the Bahamian capital of Nassau, which is located on the island of New Providence. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the northern quarter of the island.The Atlantic Ocean coast, on the east side of Long Island, is noted for its steep rocky headlands, while the Caribbean Sea coast on the west side is noted for its broad white beaches with soft sand. The terrain ranges widely throughout the island, including white flat expanses from which salt is extracted, swamplands, beaches, and sloping (in the north) and low (in the south) hills.Long Island is particularly noted for its caves, which have played a major role in the island's history.
Dean's Blue Hole, located west of Clarence Town, is the world's deepest underwater sinkhole, dropping to a depth of about 660 feet (202 meters), making it more than double the depth of most other large holes.Long Island is surrounded by smaller bays and inlets, including the large New Found Harbor west of Deadman's Cay, at approximately the midsection of the island. There are also smaller islands off shore, including Sandy Cay.HistoryThe island originally was called by the Arawak name "Yuma." It was rechristened "Fernandina" by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, during which Long Island is believed to have been his third stop, following San Salvador and Rum Cay to the east.
Archaeological evidence, including ceremonial stools called duhos, shows that the Lucayan Taíno tribe settled on Long Island, likely in the island's cave system. After the demise of the Lucayans, who were carried as slaves to Hispaniola and Cuba, there was no large settlement until the arrival of the Loyalists.The original Loyalists were mainly from the New England and New Jersey and arrived on Long Island after fleeing the American Revolution. These families started the first farms, primarily raising cattle and sheep. By the 1790s, settlers began to arrive from the Carolinas and proceeded to set up cotton plantations. The plantations flourished for only a few years and, by the time of the abolition of slavery in 1834, most had collapsed and been abandoned.
There are many ruins from this era today, the majority of which are overgrown by bush. There are also remains of some of the houses built after slavery, which are usually small and built of stone. Originally, they had thatched roofs; today, most are shingled. The descendants of these families continue to be widespread on the island.Settlements Clarence Town is the capital of Long Island and has a population of approximately 350 people. It has a marina, two restaurants as well as the government dock where the mail boat docks on a weekly basis. It also has a small grocery store, gas station and a small pub as well as a police station, post office and community centre. There are two churches in Clarence Town which are similar in appearance with their twin towers.Nearby Deadman's Cay is the major settlement at the center of the island and is home to Deadman's Cay Airport, which offers several flights each week to Nassau and is the island's largest and busiest airport.Mangrove Beach is the home of the island's boat-building trade, while Hamilton's is noted for its extensive cave system that is partially open for tours.
Salt Pond is home of the Long Island Regatta, an annual event that draws tourists from around the world.
Stella Maris, at the northern part of the island, is the center of the island's tourism industry and features several resorts.
Buckley's is home to Nelson Glanville MacFarlane Major High School, which frequently has the highest Bahamian GCSE scores among the nation's public schools, as well as the Long Island Library and Museum.
Other settlements include Buckley's, Hamilton's, Scrub Hill, Simms, and Burnt Ground.
Most of the island's settlements are named after the families that first settled them. As a result, many (but not all) are named in the possessive form: The settlement of the Gray family, for example, is known as Gray's.One main road, originally designed for carriages, runs from Glenton, at the northern tip of Long Island, to the southern tip at Gordon's. Transport on Long Island is generally road-based, with limited taxi service available, particularly from Stella Maris to Deadman's Cay and Clarence Town.Economy & TourismPart of the economy is based on tourism and farming, but fishing dominates. The inhabitants grow peas, corn, bananas, and pineapples, and they raise small livestock such as pigs, chickens, goats, and sheep. Some cattle are raised for export.Due to the generally inhospitable soil of the Bahamas, much of the farming done on Long Island is in the pot-hole style, which involves planting in fertile holes in the limestone where good top soil collects. This method of farming contributes to the success of Long Island farmers, who are usually able to generate enough excess produce to sell their fruits and vegetables throughout the Bahamas.
Tourists opportunities include sailing, fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling and relaxing on beaches. Cape Santa Maria Beach, located at Stella Maris, is frequently ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
Most tourists charter an airplane or take a commercial flight from Exuma International Airport at George Town, Exuma or Nassau. International flights offered by Locair are planned and will mark the first return of regular international flights in over ten years.More About Dean's Blue HoleDean's Blue Hole is the world's deepest blue hole (underwater sinkhole), which plunges 202 metres (663 ft) to the ocean floor, in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.In April 2007, William Trubridge broke a free-diving world record in the blue hole reaching a depth of 84 metres (276 ft) without the use of fins. In April 2008, during the Vertical Blue 2008 free-diving competition, a total of 25 national records and 5 world records were broken.
During this event, William Trubridge broke his own world record in the Constant Weight Without Fins (CNF) category reaching 86 metres (282 ft) as well as breaking the record in Free Immersion (FIM) at 108 metres (354 ft). In April 2009, Australian Walter Steyn achieved a new Australian free-diving record of 100 metres (330 ft) at Dean's Blue Hole.FormationBlue holes are the results of rainwater having soaked through fractures of limestone bedrock onto the watertable of glacial sea levels during the Pleistocene epoch (ice age), some 15,000 years ago. The maximum depth of other known blue holes and sinkholes is 110 metres (360 ft), which makes the 202 metres (663 ft) depth of Dean's Blue Hole quite exceptional.Dean's Blue Hole is roughly circular at the surface, with a diameter ranging from 25 to 35 metres (82–110 ft). After descending 20 metres (66 ft), the hole widens considerably into a cavern with a diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). (Wikipedia) cc | | 
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