 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Rum Cay" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Rum Cay Mamana | |
|---|---|
 | |
.svg) | |
| Coordinates:23°42′30″N74°50′00″W / 23.70833°N 74.83333°W /23.70833; -74.83333 | |
| Country | 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] |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Rum Cay (formerly known asMamana andSanta Maria de la Concepción) is an island anddistrict of theBahamas. 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 island is believed to have acquired its modern name from a shipwrecked cargo ofrum. 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]
Plantation boundaries known as ‘margins’ can be seen all over the island, which date from the beginning of the 19th century when Loyalists settled here.
Tourism has traditionally been the main source of employment. Nearly everybody lives in Port Nelson where cottages can be rented.
Deep reefs and drop-offs surround this former pirates’ haven. There is staghorn coral at Summer Point Reef and diving at Pinder’s Point. At the Grand Canyon, 60-foot coral walls almost reach the surface. Sumner Point Marina has dockage, fuel, moorings, WiFi, bar and restaurant. As of summer 2013, this marina is closed, and has only dockage available but absolutely no services.[citation needed]
The wreck of the 101-gunman of warHMSConqueror, built inDevon in 1855 and which served in theCrimean War, lies in 30 feet of water off Rum Cay. She was lost on Sumner Point Reef, Rum Cay, on December 13, 1861. All 1,400 aboard survived. The wreck is preserved as theUnderwater Museum of the Bahamas. It is the property of The Bahamas Government and none of the contents of the ship may be removed.
The island is served byPort Nelson Airport.
