Berry Islands (Berry Islands District)
The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district of the Bahamas, covering about 30 mi2 of the northwestern part of the Out Islands.
The Berry Islands consist of about thirty islands and over one hundred small islands or cays, often referred to as "The Fish Bowl of the Bahamas." They have a population of 807 (2010 census), most of whom are on Great Harbour Cay. The islands were settled in 1836 by Governor William Colebrooke with a group of freed slaves.
The Berry islands are still relatively undeveloped, with two small regional airports and no hotels, but do have townhouses and beach villas for rent for visitors. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but are strikingly beautiful. During the winter season the islands are visited by out-of-town guests and second home residents, but the difficulty of reaching the Berry Islands and the lack of infrastructure keeps things low-key. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.
The main attraction is big game fishing. Some of the fish that can be found there are billfish, tuna, grouper, tiger fish, yellowtail snapper, wahoo, king mackerel, and many more. In May, Great Harbour Cay is packed with visitors and fishing captains such as Habana Joe who go there for the annual fishing tournament. There are also great spots for snorkelling and scuba diving.
The Berry Islands consist of about thirty islands and over one hundred small islands or cays, often referred to as "The Fish Bowl of the Bahamas." They have a population of 807 (2010 census), most of whom are on Great Harbour Cay. The islands were settled in 1836 by Governor William Colebrooke with a group of freed slaves.
The Berry islands are still relatively undeveloped, with two small regional airports and no hotels, but do have townhouses and beach villas for rent for visitors. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but are strikingly beautiful. During the winter season the islands are visited by out-of-town guests and second home residents, but the difficulty of reaching the Berry Islands and the lack of infrastructure keeps things low-key. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world.
The main attraction is big game fishing. Some of the fish that can be found there are billfish, tuna, grouper, tiger fish, yellowtail snapper, wahoo, king mackerel, and many more. In May, Great Harbour Cay is packed with visitors and fishing captains such as Habana Joe who go there for the annual fishing tournament. There are also great spots for snorkelling and scuba diving.
Map - Berry Islands (Berry Islands District)
Map
Country - The_Bahamas
The Bahama Islands were inhabited by the Lucayans, a branch of the Arawakan-speaking Taíno, for many centuries. Christopher Columbus was the first European to see the islands, making his first landfall in the "New World" in 1492 when he landed on the island of San Salvador. Later, the Spanish shipped the native Lucayans to and enslaved them on Hispaniola, after which the Bahama islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648, nearly all native Bahamians having been forcibly removed for enslavement or having died of diseases that Europeans brought to the islands. In 1649, English colonists from Bermuda, known as the Eleutheran Adventurers, settled on the island of Eleuthera.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
BSD | Bahamian dollar | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
EN | English language |