Andros Island is the largest island of the Bahamas and the fifth largest island in the West Indies at roughly 2300 square miles (6,000 km²) in area and 104 miles (167 km) long and 40 miles (64 km) wide at its widest point. It is actually composed of three major islands: North Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros. The island has the world's third largest barrier reef, which is over 140 miles (230 km) long. It is affectionately known by Bahamians as the "Big Yard".

History

Etymologically the name Andros derives from the Greek word ??d?a? (andras) meaning "man", from Ancient Greek a?d?e??? (andreios) "of or for a man", "manly" and is also the name of a Greek island (Andros) in the Aegean Sea.

There is some evidence that suggests that the first inhabitants of Andros Island were the indigenous Lucayan people. The Lucayans throughout the Bahamas were wiped out mainly by exposure to disease following the arrival of the Spanish in the 1550s. The island was given the name “Espiritu Santo,” the Island of the Holy Spirit, by the Spanish, but is also called San Andreas on a 1782 map. The modern name is believed to be in honour of Sir Edmund Andros, Commander of Her Majesty’s Forces in Barbados in 1672 and governor successively of New York, Massachusetts, and New England. It is also believed that the island could have been named after the inhabitants of St Andro Island (St Andrew or San Andrés) on the Mosquito Coast, because 1,400 of them settled in Andros in 1787. Still another theory suggests that the island was name after the Greek isle of Andros, by Greek sponge fisherman.

During the 1700s pirates occupied the island. Morgan's Bluff and Morgan's Cave on North Andros are named after the famous privateer-pirate, Henry Morgan. Loyalists and their slaves also settled in Andros in the late 18th Century.

Andros Island's port of Fresh Creek was once a popular hangout for the "Rat Pack," including Sammy Davis, Jr..

In the 1960s and 1970s the Owens Lumber company, a US-owned company, deforested much of the indigenous pine forests that grew on North Andros. As a result of poor planning for re-growth, what is found on the island today consists mainly of young, over-crowded tree forests.

Owing to its proximity to the Tongue of the Ocean and network of fresh and saltwater blue holes, Andros Island became a popular Scuba diving destination in the early days of the sport, frequented by such well known divers as Jacques Cousteau. The first dive resort on Andros was built by Archie Forfar, a Canada native who later died trying to break the Guinness world record for deep diving. His resort, in Blanket Sound, is now home to Forfar Field station, an environmental education facility owned and operated by International Field Studies.

The island today

Andros is the least densely populated of all the Bahamas, with a population of a little over six thousand. Most of these people live on the east coast of the island in the three major towns on the island; Nicholls Town and Andros Town on North Andros, and Congo Town, on South Andros.

Much fresh water comes from this island, with about five million US gallons of fresh water being shipped to Nassau a day through the pumping station located in Morgan's Bluff. Andros has thousands of kilometres of fresh water rivers that come from rain water collected in the many caves in the island's interior.

A type of fabric called Androsia is manufactured in Andros. Androsia is the local type of batik fabric, produced in a variety of bright vibrant colors and designs. It is distributed widely throughout the Bahamas.

The Chickcharnie, an extinct cryptid believed by some to be based on the flightless, 1 metre tall barn-owl, Tyto pollens, is said to have formerly occurred on Andros.

Andros is hit by a hurricane on average every two and a half years.

The AUTEC- Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center Deep Water Weapons Range runs parallel to the east coast of the islands, and operates a base on North Andros.

Tourism

There are few hotels and resorts on the island. However Andros, famous for its bonefishing, is home to many lodges which cater to the sport.

The island is filled with natural beauty. It has the second largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world, at 140 miles (225 km) long, and has a drop off of over 6,000 feet (1.8 km). The water above the reef averages twelve feet (4 m) deep. There are more than forty square miles (104 km²) of subtropical forest area and the swamp land that is inhabited by more than 50 species of orchids. Andros is actually made up of three different major islands (North Andros, Mangrove Cay and South Andros Island) and hundreds of cays adjoined by these mangrove estuaries and tidal swamp lands. Two hundred different types of birds are native to the island.

Andros Island draws thousands of visitors every year. Anglers come from all over the world to fish there. It is said to be "the bonefish capital of the world". Divers come to explore the blue holes and reefs. Andros Island is next to the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench and is famous for its wall diving.

Blue holes

Cave diving is dangerous. Divers require training before entering any cave system and should be accompanied by a guide.

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