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 Exuma
is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 360 islands
(or cays). The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is
37 mi (60 km) in length. The largest city in the district
is George Town (permanent population 1,000), founded 1793
and located on Great Exuma. The Tropic of Cancer runs through
the city. The entire island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long
and 27 sq. mi (72 sq. km) in area. Exuma was settled in or
around 1783 by American loyalists fleeing the Revolutionary
War. The expatriates brought a cotton plantation economy to
the islands. George Town was named in honor of George III,
to whom the settlers maintained their sovereignty.
Caribbean
Exuma Packages :
Lord John Rolle, a major Loyalist settler of the Exumas, is a major figure
in the islands' heritage. Upon his death in 1835, he bestowed all of his significant
Exuma land holdings to his slaves. As a result, a number of towns on Great Exuma
have been named after him (such as Rolleville and Rolletown).
The islands are a popular spot for yachting, sailing, diving,
and coral reef and cave exploring. Much of the unnamed beaches
and coves of the island, including extensive offshore reef
areas, are part of the protected Exuma National Land and Sea
Park of the Bahamas National Trust.
The Exumas are the historic home of the Lucayan Indians,
who were wholly enslaved in the 1500s, leaving the islands
uninhabited until the 1700s. In the intervening period, the
Exumas provided many hideouts and stashes for pirates.
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