Eleuthera

Island in the Bahamas, in the West Indies, lying east of New Providence, and separated from Abaco Island in the north by the Providence Channel; length 160 km/100 mi; width 1.6-3 km/1-2 mi; area 518 sq km/200 sq mi; population (1997) 10,524. This is the most developed of the Bahamian Out Islands. The soil is fertile; tomatoes, pineapples, oranges, and lemons are cultivated. Agricultural produce from Eleuthera provides a significant contribution to the food supply in the Bahamas. Tourism is the principal industry. The main settlements are Gregory Town and Governor's Harbour.

In 1992 the island suffered extensive damage when it was hit by Hurricane Andrew.

The island was colonized by a band of religious refugees from Bermuda, who sailed for the Bahamas in 1647 and settled on Eleuthera, under the auspices of the Company of Eleutherian Adventurers, a body of English Protestant merchants and members of Parliament. They named the island after the Greek word for freedom. At the end of the American Revolution, the island was settled by colonial loyalists and their slaves, and free Africans from Bermuda were the first black settlers.