Inagua is an island of Bahamas.
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| Inagua | ||
| Country | Bahamas | |
|---|---|---|
| The search for a province ends with the state | ||
| Residents | 1.200 | |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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background
The two Inagua Islands are located approx. 600 km southeast of Nassau, but only 70 km from Cuba, in a strategic location at the entrance of the "Windward Passage" between Cuba and Hispaniola. The greatest north-south extension of Great Inagua is 32 km, from east to west it is 56 km. It is 1,550 km², flat, almost without precipitation, overgrown with bushes and cacti and little developed.
The original inhabitants were Lucaya Indians, they called their island Babeque, the Spaniards named it "lleno" full of "agua" water, which became Heneagua among the English.
400 years ago people kept coming to the island who stayed for some time, extracted salt from the lagoon and left again when they had enough salt together.
In the middle of the 18th century, the French tried to gain influence on the island for a short time in order to be able to control shipping traffic to Europe.
In the 1980s, the island was a hub for Colombian drugs. After the use of American anti-drug units, the situation has calmed down again.
There are some ruins at the undeveloped north-east point of the island. It is said that they were built as a refuge by Henri Christophe of Haiti around 1800, according to another story a fugitive convict from Long Island who had murdered his slaves for no reason lived here.
Today there are five times as many wild donkeys and horses as there are people on the whole island. Around 5 km north behind Matthew Town the salt fields of the 250 km² begin Windsor Lake, which is also called Lake Rosa because of the many thousands of pink flamingos. The eastern half of the lake has been a nature reserve for the birds since 1963.
The island is only 10 km north of the northeastern tip of Great Inagua little inagua, uninhabited, 130 km² and also a sanctuary for wild monkeys and tropical birds.
Matthew Town
In 1803 1 inhabitant was registered, in 1848 there were 172 and in 1871 there were 1120 inhabitants.
At the end of the 19th century, the island became a transshipment point for workers building the Panama Canal and the Mexican railroad. In 1902 228 ships called at the port of Matthew Town, including such large shipping lines as the Hamburg - America - Linie, Royal Netherlands - Linie and Pacific Mail Steamship Company. 2,880 sailors were hired on the ships. At times over 3,000 people lived on the island. The First World War brought the business to a standstill and aid deliveries with food had to be sent from Nassau.
In September 2008 the cyclone "Ike" moved over the island. Serious damage occurred both in Matthew Town and in the salt industry. Roofs were covered, the salt loading pier damaged.
The main town and at the same time the only place is Matthew Town with 800 inhabitants. The place was planned on the drawing board. It consists of 14 dead straight streets that run in a west-east direction and six cross streets at right angles. The parcels between the streets are each 400 x 280 feet (132 x 92 meters). The sheltered harbor is on the northern edge. The lighthouse is 2 km south of the center. Directly behind the lighthouse there is a 1.5 km long canal that connects the smaller, southern salt lake with the sea.
Salt industry
Morton Salt Crystal Company, Tel. 339-1300, is the largest employer on the island. In addition to salt production, the company is responsible for the supply of food and electricity. In total, it has around 150 employees on the island.
Around 1850 the English founded the "Heneagua Salt Pond Industry". They modernized production by using rail cars to transport salt. These wagons were pulled by mules and the salt was stored in the “salt house”. Up to 530,000 cubic meters of salt were exported annually, mainly to the USA, until they imposed high import duties. World War I brought business to a standstill and production was halted for years. It was not until 1938 that salt production was resumed by the Erickson brothers from New England (USA). Another pair of brothers, George and Willis Duvalier, challenged their success, but they did not shy away from criminal acts. They were eventually charged with arson and murder in Nassau and sentenced to death. Nevertheless, the Ericksons lost their interest in salt production. In 1950 they sold the salt plants to the Morton Salt Company, now part of the Dow Chemical Company. Salt production has been heavily modernized. The salt transports were carried out with their own ocean-going ship, the Cecil Erickson. Today around 5,000 hectares of salt lakes are in use, around 1 million tons of salt are extracted and exported every year.
Nevertheless, there were financial bottlenecks, wages were not paid on time. In 2008 this initially led to strikes. Machines and electrical systems are said to have been damaged. In the autumn of the same year production was stopped for a few weeks after hurricane "Ike". In April 2009 the newspaper Bahama Journal announced the sale of all systems for 1.7 million dollars to the German company K S AG. K S AG, Kassel, is a leading European fertilizer and salt producer. * http://k-plus-s.com
getting there
By plane
Great Inagua Airport, IATA Code - IGA, 8,000 x 100 feet (2,640 x 33 meters) runway, 2 km north of Matthew Town Harbor, Tel. 339-1254, aviation fuel, passport and customs services.
By boat
The Mailboat United Star runs from Matthew Town via Mayguana, Acklins and Long Cay to Nassau, the fare for a one-way trip is US $ 70. Inquire about departure on tel. 393-1064.
mobility
Rental car
- Ingram's Rent-A-Car. Tel.: 339-1677.
Bike rental
Tourist Attractions
museum
- Erickson Museum, Gregory Street. Tel.: 337-0500. The museum shows finds about the island's history and salt processing.Open: Mon - Fri 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
National parks
- Great Iguana National Park. The Great Iguana National Park has a size of 744 km². It was founded in 1965. It mainly serves to protect the flamingos, of which there are now around 50,000 animals again. There is also a small research station for sea turtles at the park entrance. The park entrance is 20 miles from Mattew Town. Information on the National Park can be obtained from Henry Nixon, Tel. 339-1616, Fax 339-1850. This is the responsible park ranger. He also gives tours of the park. No more than four people are allowed to accompany him. The tours cost US $ 50.
- Little Iguana National Park. This national park has existed since 2002, it is 127 km² and breeding area for a large number of sea birds.
- Union Creek National Reserve. This sanctuary was created in 1965 on the northwest corner of the Great Iguana National Park and covers 20 km². It mainly consists of a coastal strip that is covered by the sea at high tide. There you will mainly find water turtles.
Cityscapes
- The "Salt House" in Matthew Town. A salt warehouse from the 18th to 19th centuries, the portals are built with blocks from Port Royal, Jamaica.
- Matthew Town lighthouse. Tel.: 339-1370. The Matthew Town lighthouse 2 km south of the village was built in 1870. It is one of the last three lighthouses in the Bahamas that still run on kerosene today. The beacon mechanism must be wound by hand like a clock every 90 minutes. The beacon is visible over 30 km.
activities
Diving
- Perry Fawkes. Tel.: 339-1596.
- Dean Symonette. Tel.: 339-1428.
shop
- BBB’s souvenirs, Nesbit Street. Souvenir.
- Cash and Carry. Food.
- Cedors Decors
- Elve’s boutique
- Morton Company Store, Gregory Street. Food.
- Sislyn Gift Corner, Victoria Street / Mortimer Street. Souvenir.
kitchen
- After work bar, Astwood Street / Gregory Street.
- Crystal ruins
- Garden Deli Delight
- Hide Out Cafe
- Ingraham Pearl
- Last Stop Take-Away & Restaurant, Meadows Street / Russell Street. Tel.: 339-1740.
- Theresa's Pop Shop. Tel.: 339-1241.
- The Super D Club
- Top's, Astwood Street. Tel.: 339-1465.
- Traveller's rest, Meadows Street / Victoria Street.
accommodation
- Morton's Main House, Gregory Street / Kortwright Street. Tel.: 339-1267, Fax: 339-1265. 6 rooms, restaurant.Price: Single / Double 75-85 US $, rental prices plus taxes.
health
- Matthew Town Hospital, Victoria Street. Tel.: 339-1249.
Practical advice
Banks
Immigration authority
- Immigrations, Airfield. Tel.: 339-1602.
- Immigrations, Gregory Street, next to Commissioner's Office. Tel.: 339-1271.
police
- Police station, Airfield. Tel.: 339-1604.
Water supply
- There is practically no drinking water supply on the island. Since there is hardly any rain that could be caught, drinking water is landed by ship and distributed by tanker.
miscellaneous
- Post office, in the office of the Insel Commissioner. Tel.: 339-1348.
- There are several public telephones in Mathew Town. The telephone company offices are located approximately half a mile north of the city center. BaTelCo, Tel. 339-1000, Fax 339-1323, opening times: Mon - Fri 9 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Web links
- Information, * http://theinaguas.com
- National Park, * http://bnt.bs
