Inagua, Great and Little

Most southerly islands in the Bahamas, in the West Indies. Lying 571 km/355 mi south of Nassau, New Providence Island, Great Inagua is third-largest island in the Bahamas; area 1,551 sq km/600 sq mi; population (1997) 1,500. The production and export of salt is the principal industry; 750,000 tons of salt are extracted and exported every year. The uninhabited island of Little Inagua is a land-and-sea park and bird sanctuary; area 127 sq km/49 sq mi.

In the 19th century Great Inagua developed its salt industry. Many of the island's inhabitants emigrated during World War I. In the 1930s and 1940s, US citizens moved to the island and revived the salt industry. The only settlement on Great Inagua is Matthew Town. Almost half of the island is included in a National Park which is home to the world's largest flamingo colony. The islands are flat, with numerous salt marshes and lagoons, which are thinly populated and offer safe nesting-places for many tropical bird species, as well as flamingos.