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The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
of the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
, covering about of the northwestern part of the
Out Islands The Out Islands are the islands that make up the Bahamas with the exception of New Providence Island, where the capital and largest city, Nassau, is located and Grand Bahama Island, where Freeport is located.David Hamilton-Jones, "Problems of Int ...
. The Berry Islands consist of about thirty
island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
s and over one hundred small islands or cays, often referred to as "The Fish Bowl of the Bahamas." They have a
population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...
of 807 (2010 census), most of whom are on
Great Harbour Cay Great Harbour Cay is the major island in the north Berry Islands. It has a population of 353 (2010 census).Governor William Colebrooke with a group of freed
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
.


Attractions

The Berry islands are still relatively undeveloped, with two small regional airports and no hotels, but do have townhouses and beach villas for rent for visitors. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but are strikingly beautiful. During the winter season the islands are visited by out-of-town guests and second home residents, but the difficulty of reaching the Berry Islands and the lack of infrastructure keeps things low-key. Due to seasonal residents, the Berry islands can say that they have more resident millionaires per unit area than any other place in the world. The main attraction is big game fishing. Some of the fish that can be found there are billfish,
tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...
,
grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" ...
, tiger fish,
yellowtail snapper The yellowtail snapper (''Ocyurus chrysurus'') is an abundant species of snapper native to the western Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal ...
,
wahoo Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is ...
, king mackerel, and many more. In May, Great Harbour Cay is packed with visitors and fishing captains such as Habana Joe who go there for the annual fishing
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
. There are also great spots for snorkelling and
scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
.


Islands

Map of the Berry Islands
Great Harbour Cay Great Harbour Cay is the major island in the north Berry Islands. It has a population of 353 (2010 census).Great Harbour Cay Airport. Chub Cay, site of Chub Cay International Airport, is the second largest island in the chain and is known an "the billfish capital of the Bahamas." Little Stirrup Cay is leased by Royal Caribbean International, which calls it Coco Cay, and acts as a private island for tropical activities engaged in by visitors on its cruise ships of the Royal Caribbean and
Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises is a cruise line headquartered in Miami, Florida and a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1988 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, and merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in ...
labels. Great Stirrup Cay is owned by
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8. ...
and is used for similar purposes. Cistern Cay is a private island located next to Great Harbour Cay. Little Whale Cay a private island that was developed as residence by Wallace Groves in the 1930s. It is served by the Lt. Whale Cay Airport.


References

Archipelagoes of the Bahamas Districts of the Bahamas {{Bahamas-geo-stub