Lucayan Archipelago

Lucayan Archipelago
Archipelago
Location within the Caribbean
Coordinates: 23.74°N 75.37°W / 23.74; -75.37
Continent	North America
Subregion	Caribbean
Countries and territories	2 Bahamas Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom)
Area
• Total	14,308 km2 (5,524 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• Total	443,000
• Density	24.6/km2 (64/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Bahamian, Turks Islander, Caicos Islander
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)

The Lucayan Archipelago, also known as the Bahamian Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The archipelago is in the western North Atlantic Ocean, north of Cuba and the other Antillean Islands, and east and south-east of Florida.

William Keegan writes: "Modern political considerations aside, the islands form a single archipelago with common geological, ecological, and cultural roots." Though part of the West Indies, the Lucayan Archipelago is not located on the Caribbean Sea.

Countries and territories

• The Bahamas
• Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom)

The Mouchoir Bank, the Silver Bank, and the Navidad Bank are a submerged continuation of the archipelago, to the southeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Mouchoir Bank is disputed between the Turks and Caicos Islands and Dominican Republic; Silver Bank and Navidad Bank are part of the Dominican Republic.

Etymologies of island names

The Lucayan Archipelago was named for the original native Lucayan people. Julian Granberry and Gary Vescelius suggest the following Lucayan (Taíno) etymologies for various Lucayan islands.

Indigenous name	Modern name	Lucayan form	Meaning
Inagua	Inagua	i na wa	Small Eastern Land
Baneque	Inagua	ba ne ke	Big Water Island
Guanahaní	Little Inagua	wa na ha ni	Small Upper Waters Land
Utiaquia	Ragged Island	huti ya kaya	Western Hutia Island
Jume(n)to	Crooked/Jumento	ha wo ma te	Upper Land of the Middle Distance
Curateo	Exuma	ko ra te wo	Outer Far Distant Land
Guaratía	Exuma	wa ra te ya	Far Distant Land
Babueca	Turks Bank	ba we ka	Large Northern Basin
Cacina	Big Sand Cay	ka si na	Little Northern Sand
Canamani	Salt Cay	ka na ma ni	Small Northern Mid-Waters
Cacumani	Salt Cay	ka ko ma ni	Mid-Waters Northern Outlier
Macareque	Cotton Cay	Ma ka ri ke	Middle Northern Land
Amuana	Grand Turk	aba wa na	First Small Land
Caciba	South Caicos	ka siba	Northern Rocky
Guana	East Caicos	wa na	Small Country
Aniana	Middle Caicos	a ni ya na	Small Far Waters
Caicos	North Caicos	ka i ko	Nearby Northern Outlier
Buiana	Pine Cay	bu ya na	Small Western Home
Boniana	Pine Cays	bo ni ya na	Small Western Waters Home
Yucanacan	Providenciales	yuka na ka	The Peoples Small Northern [Land]
Ianicana	Providenciales	ya ni ka na	Far Waters Smaller [Land]
Macubiza	West Caicos	ma ko bi sa	Mid Unsettled Outlier
Mayaguana	Mayaguana	ma ya wa na	Lesser Midwestern Land
Amaguayo	Plana Cays	a ma wa yo	Toward the Middle Lands
Yabaque	Acklins Island	ya ba ke	Large Western Land
Samana	Samana	sa ma na	Small Middle Forest
Yuma	Long Island	yu ma	Higher Middle
Manigua	Rum Cay	ma ni wa	Mid Waters Land
Guanahaní	San Salvador	wa na ha hi	Small Upper Waters Land
Guateo	Little San Salvador	wa te yo	Toward the Distant Land
Guanima	Cat Island	wa ni ma	Middle Waters Land
Ayrabo	Great Guana Cay	ay ra bo	Far Distant Home
Nema	New Providence	ne ma	Middle Waters
Ciguateo	Eleuthera	siba te wo	Distant Rocky Place
Lucayoneque	Great Abaco	luka ya ne ke	The People's Distant Waters Land
Bahama	Grand Bahama	ba ha ma	Large Upper Middle [Land]
Habacoa	Andros	ha ba ko wa	Large Upper Outlier Land
Canimisi	Williams Island	ka ni misi	Northern Waters Swamp
Bimini	Bimini	bimini	The Twins

See also

• List of Caribbean islands
• West Indies

Citations

• Granberry, Julian (October 1991). "Lucayan Toponyms". Journal of the Bahamas Historical Society. 13. Retrieved 8 December 2013.

Further reading

• Keegan, William F. (1992) The People Who Discovered Columbus: The Prehistory of the Bahamas. University Press of Florida ISBN 0-8130-1137-X