Lucayan Archipelago

The Lucayan Archipelago (named for the original native Lucayan people), also known as the Bahama 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 along with the other Antilles, and east and southeast of Florida.

Lucayan Archipelago
Archipelago
Location within the West Indies
Coordinates: 23.74°N 75.37°W / 23.74; -75.37
Region	West Indies
Countries and territories	2  Bahamas  Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Area
• Total	14,308 km^2 (5,524 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• Total	443,000
• Density	24.6/km^2 (64/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Bahamian, Turks Islander, Caicos Islander
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)

William Keegan writes that the Bahama archipelago includes the territories of both the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, adding: "Modern political considerations aside, the islands form a single archipelago with common geological, ecological, and cultural roots."[1] The Lucayan Archipelago is not located within the Caribbean Sea.

Proposed federation

In 2010 the leaders of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands discussed the possibility of forming a federation.[2]

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 in the southeast, as are the Turks and Caicos Islands.[3] While Mouchoir Bank belongs to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Silver Bank and Navidad Bank are part of the Dominican Republic.

Etymologies of island names

Granberry and Vescelius (2004) suggest the following Lucayan (Taíno) etymologies for various Lucayan islands.[4]

Spanish name	Modern name	Taíno 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 islands of the Lucayan Archipelago
• West Indies

Notes

1. Keegan:20, 183
2. Tyson, Vivian. Bahamas wants federation talks with TCI Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine. Turks and Caicos Sun, 2010.
3. Carew, James; Mylroie, John (1997). Vacher, H.L.; Quinn, T. (eds.). Geology of Bahamas, in Geology and Hydrology of Carbonate Islands, Developments in Sedimentology 54. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science B.V. pp. 91-139. ISBN 9780444516442.
4. Granberry, Julian, & Gary Vescelius (2004). Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0-8173-5123-X.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

References

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

Further reading

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