Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama is a large island.

It is part of the Bahamas.

The island is very warm. It has a rainy season and a dry season.

You can see many things there. There are bright yellow flowers. These flowers help bees and birds.

Many animals live on the island. You might see a tiger shark in the water. You might see a small bird too.

People visit the island for fun. They like the beaches and the sun. It is a beautiful place to visit.

Grand Bahama is a large island.

It is part of the Bahamas. It is the third largest island in the chain. The island is north of other islands. West End is a town near Florida.

The weather is tropical. It has a hot, rainy season. This lasts from May to October. The dry season is warm. It lasts from November to April. In 2019, a big storm called Hurricane Dorian hit. It caused much damage to homes.

Many people visit for fun. Freeport is a major city. It has a large harbor and airport.

Visitors like the beaches in Lucaya. People also work in big factories. They make perfume and research medicine. Some farms grow citrus fruit.

Nature is very special here. You might see a tiger shark in the reefs.

Small birds like the Bahama swallow live in the woods. There are also bright yellow flowers. These flowers attract bees and hummingbirds. The tallest building is Casa Bahama.

It has 18 floors.

Grand Bahama is a large island in the Bahamas. It sits at the very top of the island chain. This chain has about 700 islands and 2,400 smaller cays. Grand Bahama is the third largest island in the whole group.

The island is shaped roughly like a square. It is about as long from east to west as it is wide. The town of West End sits on the western edge. It is located east of Palm Beach in Florida. The island is divided into three main areas. These are the City of Freeport and two other districts.

The weather on the island follows a tropical pattern. There is a hot and rainy season from May to October. A warm and dry season follows from November to April. This pattern helps decide when people visit the island. The hurricane season lasts from June through November. The months of August, September, and October have the highest risk. In early September 2019, Hurricane Dorian hit the island. It was a Category 5 hurricane. This storm caused very large amounts of damage. Nearly half of the homes were damaged or destroyed.

Many people lived on the island long ago. The indigenous Lucayan people had their own name for it. They called it 'large upper middle island.' Later, Spanish ships passed by the island. The reefs around the island were very dangerous. These reefs often stopped Spanish ships from staying. Instead, pirates used the reefs to trap ships. Pirates would run ships aground to take their goods. By 1828, the island had very few people living there. Later, the town of West End became a place for smuggling liquor.

Grand Bahama changed a lot in the middle of the 1900s. In 1955, a man named Wallace Groves began to build Freeport. He worked with the government to create a new city. This helped the island find a steady way to make money. The city grew very fast after that. New things like a harbor and an airport were built. The tourist center of Port Lucaya opened in 1962. Today, many people live and work on the island. In 2004, the population was over 50,000 people.

Many different living things call the island home. You can find many types of bats in dark caves. The buffy flower bat has white and brown hair. Small birds like the Bahama swallow also live here. These birds have green heads and blue wings. In the water, you might see a tiger shark. These sharks have stripes on their bodies. On land, the yellow elder grows as a shrub. It has bright yellow flowers that attract bees. These flowers are very pretty to see.

Grand Bahama is the northernmost island in the Bahamas. The Bahamas is an island chain containing about 700 islands and 2,400 cays. Grand Bahama is the third largest island in this group.

The island is roughly square in shape. It is almost as wide from north to south as it is long from west to east. Its westernmost town is West End. This town sits east of Palm Beach, Florida. Administratively, the island is divided into three districts. These are the City of Freeport, East Grand Bahama, and West Grand Bahama.

The island has a tropical monsoon climate. This means the weather follows two distinct patterns. From May through October, the island experiences a hot and rainy season. From November through April, the weather is warm and dry. In Freeport, summer high temperatures average 88°F. Summer low temperatures average 78°F. During the winter, the average high is 77°F. The average low is 68°F. The hurricane season runs from June through November. The risk of hurricanes is highest during August, September, and October. In early September 2019, Hurricane Dorian struck as a Category 5 hurricane. This storm caused catastrophic destruction. Nearly half of the homes on the island were damaged or destroyed.

The history of the island began with the indigenous Lucayan people. They called the island 'large upper middle island.' For nearly two centuries, the island's geography shaped its history. Treacherous coral reefs surrounded the island. These reefs repelled Spanish claimants who mostly only stopped for provisions. However, the reefs attracted pirates. Pirates would lure ships onto the reefs to run them aground. This allowed pirates to plunder the ships. The Spaniards also enslaved the native Lucayan inhabitants. By 1828, Grand Bahama was almost unpopulated.

During the era of United States prohibition, West End became a site for smuggling. It served as a waystation for the illicit import of liquor. In the late 1940s, the British Butlin's firm developed the first major resort. They built a 1000-guest resort and the West End Airport. The firm ran the facility for only one season in 1950. They ran out of money before finishing the project. A small part of the resort reopened in 1955. Major redevelopment happened again in 1960. The West End Airport served as the main commercial airport until the 1960s. Later, a newer airport was built in Freeport.

A major shift occurred in 1955 through the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. A Virginian financier named Wallace Groves began redevelopment with the Bahamian government. This plan aimed to build the city of Freeport. It also created the Grand Bahama Port Authority. Later, Edward St. George and Sir Jack Hayward expanded this work. St. George wanted to make Grand Bahama a tourist destination like Cuba. He added a harbor and an airport to the new city. He also created the Port Lucaya tourist center in 1962.

The population grew rapidly. By 2004, the island had over 50,000 residents.

The economy of Grand Bahama relies on several different sectors. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy. The Port Lucaya resort area and cruise ships provide most of this activity.

The island also has major industrial operations. These include pharmaceutical plants and an immunology research center. There is also a perfume factory called Fragrance of The Bahamas. Other industries include oil transshipment and a large shipyard. The island exports refined petroleum and special purpose ships. Agriculture and fisheries are also important. Commercial farms produce vegetables and citrus fruits. The top exports from fisheries are crayfish and conch.

Grand Bahama is home to many unique plants and animals. You can find many species of bats in dark caves or abandoned homes. The buffy flower bat has white and brown hair. It has a flowery nose that helps it pollinate flowers. The Bahama swallow is an endangered bird. It has a green head, blue wings, and a white belly. This bird lives in the pine woodlands.

In the water, you might see a tiger shark. These sharks have vertical stripes on their bodies. On land, the yellow elder shrub grows with bright green leaves. Its yellow flowers attract bees and hummingbirds. Another plant is the casuarina. It is an invasive species that can grow 65 feet tall. It thrives in sandy soils along the shorelines.