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Rum Cay Mamana | |
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| Coordinates:23°42′30″N74°50′00″W / 23.70833°N 74.83333°W /23.70833; -74.83333 | |
| Country | The Bahamas |
| Island | Rum Cay |
| Established | 1996 |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 78 km2 (30 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 37 m (121 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 90[1] |
| • Density | 1.2/km2 (3.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Rum Cay (formerly known asMamana andSanta Maria de la Concepción) is an island anddistrict ofThe Bahamas. It measures 30 square miles (78 km2) in area, it is located at Lat.: N23 42' 30" - Long.: W 74 50' 00". It has many rolling hills that rise to about 120 feet (37 m).
The main settlement is Port Nelson. Its population was recorded as 90 as of 2022[update]. Before 1996 the island was part of a combined district ofSan Salvador and Rum Cay.[2]
Rum Cay is 20 miles (32 km) southwest ofSan Salvador Island.
Rum Cay was calledMamana (orManigua), meaning "mid waters land", by the nativeLucayans.[3] In the north there is a cave containing Lucayan drawings and carvings. Various artifacts from theArawak period have been found by farmers in the fertile soil, which the natives enriched withbat guano.
Some writers, such asSamuel Eliot Morison, identified Rum Cay as the site of one ofChristopher Columbus' landfalls during his1492 voyage, as the island Columbus calledSanta María de la Concepción.[3] However, a variety of other historians, geographers, and other writers identify the island as corresponding to different islands in the Bahamas orCaicos.[4]
The island is served byPort Nelson Airport.
