 The western Plana Cay, looking northeast | |
  Plana Cays The location of Plana Cays within the Bahamas | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 22°36′00″N73°34′23″W / 22.600°N 73.573°W /22.600; -73.573 |
| Type | Cay |
| Archipelago | Lucayan Archipelago |
| Administration | |
ThePlana Cays are a group of two small uninhabited islands in the southernBahama Islands, located east ofAcklins Island and west ofMayaguana Island. The indigenousLucayan people called the islandsAmaguaya, meaning "toward the middle lands".[1]
The eastern cay was the last natural habitat of theBahamian Hutia, a species ofrabbit-sizedrodent. It was thought to be extinct until 1966, when a population was found on the Plana Cays by biologist Garrett Clough. Hutias have since been transplanted from the Plana Cays to other parts of the Bahamas.[2]
The Plana Cays have been suggested as thefirst landfall of Christopher Columbus in the New World.[3][4][non-primary source needed]
