Andros, Bahamas: Difference between revisions

Andros
Nickname: Big Yard
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	24°26′N 77°57′W / 24.433°N 77.950°W
Archipelago	The Bahamas
Area	5,957 km2 (2,300 sq mi)
Length	167 km (103.8 mi)
Width	64 km (39.8 mi)
Administration
	Bahamas
Demographics
Population	7,800
Pop. density	1.31/km2 (3.39/sq mi)

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Andros Island is an archipelago within the archipelago-nation of the Bahamas, the largest of the 26 inhabited Bahamian Islands. Geo-politically considered a single island, Andros has an area greater than all the other 700 Bahamian islands combined. The land area of Andros consists of hundreds of small islets and cays connected by mangrove estuaries and tidal swamp lands, together with three major islands—North Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros. The three main islands are separated by “bights,” estuaries which trifurcate the island, connecting the island’s east and west coasts. It is 104 miles (167 km) long by at its widest 40 miles (64 km) wide.

Geographically, North Andros is the sixth largest island in the West Indies, at roughly 6,000 km² (2,300 sq mi) in area and 167 km (104 mi) long and 64 km (40 mi) wide at its widest point, and the 153rd largest island on Earth.^[1] If all three main islands are included, Andros is the fifth largest island in the Indies, after Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Although comparable in area to the state of Rhode Island (3140 km2, population 1.05 million) and Long Island, N.Y. (3600 km2, population 7.5 million) Andros is home to a population of approximately 8000, almost all of whom are settled in a thin strip near the Queen Elizabeth Highway running along the island’s eastern coast. Outside Alaska, the Amazon Basin and northern Canada, it is one of the least densely populated places in the Western Hemisphere.

Noteworthy for a unique combination of marine features and ecosystems, Andros rests on the west side of the 6000 foot (3+ km) deep Tongue of the Ocean, The world’s third longest barrier reef after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Central American Belize Barrier Reef, runs for 142 miles (225km) averaging a distance of only 1-2 miles from the Andros shore.^[2] The extensive flats of the Great Bahama Bank lie to the west, northwest and south of Andros. The island is home to the world’s largest collection of Blue Holes.^[3]

Thirty miles westward across the Tongue of the Ocean from the Bahamas’ national capital of Nassau on New Providence Island, Andros’ northern tip lies 138 miles/233 km from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.^[4] Geologically and geographically the Bahamas, including Andros, are not located in the Caribbean Sea, whose northern boundary is the Windward Passage, but rather in the Atlantic Ocean. However, politically the nation was historically part of the British West Indies and is considered culturally to be part of the Caribbean. The Bahamian dialect of the English language is distinctively Caribbean in character, similar to those of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, also formerly part of the British West Indies.

The township of Fresh Creek is home to the Atlantic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Center AUTEC, operated by the U.S. Navy, where the United Kingdom and the United States conduct special operations training and sonar and submarine research in the Tongue of the Ocean. AUTEC is the island’s largest single private employer. The U.S. Coast Guard also runs rescue and drug interdiction operations from AUTEC.^[5]

Andros is known in the Bahamas by two nicknames, "The Sleeping Giant" and "The Big Yard."

International Field Studies, Inc. runs Forfar Field Station, located on the east coast near North Blanket Sound.^[6] Students can stay there to learn about the culture, biology, and geology of the Bahamas.

Transportation

Andros Island has four airports with paved runways: San Andros Airport at Nicholls Town, Andros Town International Airport located at Fresh Creek, the Clarence A. Bain Airport at Mangrove Cay and Congo Town Airport in South Andros. Andros Town International is an international port of entry for private pilots. The island is served by multiple daily flights from Nassau by BahamasAir, Western Air, and LeAir—the flight to any of the four airports is 15-25 minutes. Daily scheduled flights to Nassau from London, Paris, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Orlando and other major cities provide easy connection from Andros to the rest of the world. Regularly scheduled charters provide direct service to Andros Town from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, mostly offered by Gulfstream International Airlines. Continental Connection offers seasonal scheduled flights from Fort Lauderdale, operated by Gulfstream for Continental under contract. Andros is connected to Nassau by Sea-Link ferry which runs daily to Morgan’s Bluff on the north end of the island and Fresh Creek in central Andros.^[7] It is also reachable by mailboat from Nassau and for interisland travel with stops at numerous Andros settlements. ^[8] There is no public transport on Andros Island, but a private shuttle bus service on North Andros connects Nicholls Town with Behring Point. Taxi service is available at all four airports.

Climate

Andros lies just north of the Tropic of Cancer, with moderate temperature range affected by its relative proximity to the Gulf Stream to the west. The island has a semitropical climate with only two seasons, summer (May-November) and winter (December-April). Midsummer temperatures range from 27C-29 C/80F-85F with a relative humidity of 60 to 100 percent. Winter temperatures range from 21C-24C/70-75F and can drop to 5C/41F after dark.^[9] ^[10] Andros Island is hit by a Bahamas hurricane an average of every 2.5 years. The Great Florida Hurricane of 1929 is known in the Bahamas as The Great Andros Hurricane. Notable strikes in the modern era have included Hurricanes Betsy (1965), David (1979), Arlene (1987), Andrew (1992), Lili (1996), Floyd (1999), Michelle (2001), and Wilma (2005)^[11]

Economy

The largest employers on Andros Island are the Bahamian government and the AUTEC base at Fresh Creek.

Despite its small population, Andros Island has given rise to several ongoing commercial ventures. Western Air maintains its headquarters in a modern facility at the San Andros airport.^[12] A Mennonite mission-run commercial farm was founded near Blanket Sound in 1983, which grows everything from habanera peppers to sorghum and potatoes, and has numerous fruit orchards. The Mennonites also run the largest car repair shop on the island. Androsia, a hand-crafted batik factory founded at Fresh Creek in 1972 produces a vibrant, colorful fabric which has become part of the national dress and identity of the Bahamas.^[13] GreenLife Growers, a Bahamian native tree nursery at Young Sound, provides landscaping material to real estate developers and government projects throughout the Bahamas.

Commercial fishing remains a mainstay of the island’s economy—conch, lobster, snapper and grouper are all commercially harvested for sale locally and in Nassau’s fish markets. Seasonal crabbing—catching crabs and fattening them in pens for sale in Nassau—provides a cash crop for locals to supplement their income.

Local handicrafts in the Black Seminole style—particularly wood carvings and woven baskets—are a cottage industry in the settlement of Red Bays. A sample of Red Bays baskets is in the Smithsonian Institution^[14]. There is a fledgling conservation industry on Andros, dedicated to preserving the island’s unique ecosystems, working in partnership with both the Bahamian government (The Bahamas National Trust) and such varied non-governmental organizations as The Nature Conservancy and the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI). These efforts resulted in the creation of the Central Andros National Park in 2002. Most of the island’s conservation efforts funnel through the non-profit nongovernmental organization the Andros Conservancy and Trust (ANCAT.) ANCAT’s efforts are closely tied to efforts to encourage eco-tourism, preserving the existing varied habitats of the island.^[15]

Tourism

Unlike most of the Bahamian islands, Andros's interior has been largely free of commercial development for the tourism industry, preserving much of its natural beauty. Current Bahamian tourism efforts refer to it as the least-explored island in the chain.^[16] There are currently efforts being made by the Bahamas National Trust and the Nature Conservancy to establish a national park on the island.

The island is filled with natural beauty. The east coast of Andros Island lies along the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench. In part because of this location, the east coast of the island is bordered by the best developed fringing reef system in all of The Bahamas (and one of the best in the entire Wider Caribbean region), with a vertical drop on many parts of the fore reef plunging to depths of over 1.8 km (5,900 ft). So extensive is this reef system that it is sometimes referred to as a "barrier reef", but it is not a true barrier reef in the strict definition because it contains only a shallow lagoon that is relatively close to shore. As a compormise, some have taken to calling this a "fringing barrier reef" ^[17]

Andros Island draws thousands of visitors every year. There are few hotels and resorts on the island. However Andros, famous for its bonefishing, and is home to many lodges which cater to the sport. Anglers come from all over the world to fish there. It is said to be "the bonefish capital of the world". Additionally, many divers come to explore the blue holes and spectacular coral reefs.

History

The first inhabitants of Andros Island were probably 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 During the 18th century 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 pineyards that grew on North Andros. As a result of poor planning for re-growth, what is found on the island today are over-crowded forests of mainly young trees.

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 was built by Dick Birch of Canada. A second resort opened by Archie Forfar, a Canadian 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.

Etymology of the Island's Name

The Spanish named the island “Espiritu Santo,” the Island of the Holy Spirit. A 1782 map calls it San Andreas.^{[citation needed]} 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, New England, and Virginia.^{[citation needed]} However, the island could have been named after the inhabitants of St Andro Island (St Andrew or San Andrés) on the Mosquito Coast, since 1,400 of them settled in Andros in 1787.^{[citation needed]} A less likely theory suggests that the island was name after the Greek isle of Andros by Greek sponge fishermen.^[18]

Flora and Fauna

“As the largest island in the Bahamas, Andros exhibits greater botanical diversity than any other island. The presence of Andros’ barrier reef and the Tongue of the Ocean give the island a great zoological diversity.”^[19] Among the various land eco-systems are hardwood coppice, pineyard, scrub, saltwater marsh, rocky and sandy beaches, palm savannas and mangroves. Non-coastal areas on Andros are referred to generically as ‘the bush.’ Coastal mangrove flats and estuaries are referred to as ‘the swash,’ or salt water marsh. In the 1960s and 1970s the Owens Lumber company, a US-owned company which bought out a number of Bahamian lumber interests, deforested much of the indigenous pineyards that grew on North Andros. “Much of the pineland of western Andros is on hummocks of high ground…this isolation of pines by wetlands has severely limited their commercial potential and therefore they are among the largest pines remaining in the Bahamas.” ^[20] What is found on the North Andros landmass today are over-crowded forests of mainly young trees. Andros has the Bahamas’ only fresh water river, contributing to its biodiversity.^[21] Thousands of kilometres of underground water from rainwater collect in aquifers below the island's surface. Nineteen million litres of freshwater are shipped to Nassau daily by barge through the pumping station located in Morgan's Bluff.^[22]

Marine Life

The most significant factors in marine life of Andros are the barrier reef and the Tongue of the Ocean, together with mangrove swamps, rocky tidal pools and estuaries which provide breeding and growing habitats for young marine life. Andros has a variety of close-to-shore and on-shore ecosystems that may be unique on Earth: tidal inland and ocean blue holes, shallow sand and mud flats, tidal estuaries, mangrove swamps, the pelagic eco-zone of the 6000 foot drop-off only a mile from shore, the world’s third largest barrier reef, and huge freshwater aquifers. The marine biosphere is fed by both the teeming life of the mangrove marshes and estuaries on the mainland and the upwelling of cool water from the Tongue of the Ocean, resulting in an unparalleled variety of sea life. Humpback whales, which are found in all the world's oceans, follow a regular migration route, summering in temperate and polar waters for feeding, and wintering in tropical waters for mating and calving. Humpbacks used to be common in the Tongue of the Ocean off Andros, and are still seen infrequently. Pilot whales are also seen off the coast of Andros. Inside the Andros Barrier Reef staghorn, elkhorn and other corals are found in shallows 10-20 feet deep. Beyond the shallow reefs are tiny cays and islets from which the sea bottom gradually deepens until at a depth of between 70 feet and 120 feet comes “The Wall,” with its plunge 6000 feet into the abyss of the Tongue of the Ocean. There are four species of turtles found in Andros’ waters—loggerhead, green, hawksbill and rarely the leatherback.^[23]

Birds

Most resident bird species of the Bahamas are believed to have come northward from the West Indies rather than North America, because winds and sea currents favor immigration from the south and southeast. Some 225 species are known in the islands. Andros, with its vast undeveloped land, is home to many of them.^[24] The Bahama Oriole is only found on Andros Island. The Oriole is critically endangered, with an estimated remaining population of fewer than 250. The Giant Lizard Cuckoo, is found only on New Providence, Eleuthera and Andros. The rare Kirtland’s Warbler—an estimated 600 remain—was first seen on the island in 1879 and winters on Andros.^[25] The endangered migratory Atlantic subspecies of the Piping Plover favors the rocky shores and sandy beaches of Andros. Other rare and uncommon birds found in the Andros environ include the Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Woodstar, Bahama Swallow, West Indian Whistling Duck and Key West Quail Dove. Other birds found on Andros include the West Indian Woodpecker, the Loggerhead kingbird, LaSagre's Flycatcher, the Great Antillean Pewee, the Bahama Mockingbird, The Red-legged Thrush, the Thick-billed Vireo, the Black-whiskered Vireo, the Olive-capped Warbler, the Black-cowled Oriole, the Great Antillean Bullfinch, the Black-faced Grassquit, the Melodious Grassquit, the Least Grebe, Olivaceous Cormorant, the Flamingo, the Bahama Pintail, Osprey, Kestel, Sooty Tern, Roseate Tern, Noddy Tern, White Crowned Pigeon, Zenaida Dove, White-bellied Dove, the Smooth-billed Ani and the Cuban Emerald Hummingbird.^[26]

Orchids

There are more than 104 km² (40 sq mi) of subtropical forests and the swamps are inhabited by more than 50 species of wild orchids on Andros,^[27] many of which are endemic, including three native species of the climbing orchid vanilla.^[28] Commercial flower collectors have been known to set fire to the pineland coppices to collect purple flowered orchids (Bletia puperea) that flourish in ashy soil. The orchid genus epidendrum has nine species endemic to the Bahamas, all of which can be found on Andros.

Legendary Creatures

According to local lore, two mythical creatures are endemic to Andros: the Lusca and The Chickcharney (also spelled Chickcharnie.) The Lusca, half-octopus, half-shark and gigantic, supposedly swallows whole boats. The Chickcharney, furry and feathered and three foot tall has one red eye and three-toed claws. Some ornithologists believe that the legend of the chickcharney is based on the flightless, 1 metre tall barn-owl, Tyto pollens, whose remains have been found on Andros.

Blue holes

The island's blue holes are water filled cave systems. They attract cave divers from all over the world to dive sites such as 'Stargate', 'The Guardian' and 'Little Frenchman'. There are blue holes in the ocean and inland. Two of the inland blue holes on Andros include Charlie's Blue Hole, reputedly first explored by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and the larger Church's Blue Hole and Guardian Blue Hole.^[29]

Political Organization

Andros is politically divided into four Districts (North Andros, Central Andros, South Andros and Mangrove Cay) and ten Townships. (Mastic Point, Lowe Sound, Nicholls Town, Staniard Creek, Fresh Creek, Cargill Creek, The Bluff, Long Bay Cays, Kemps Bay, Deep Creek). It is represented in the national parliament by two seats—North Andros and South Andros. There are dozens of tiny named settlements along the island’s east coast, (i.e. Blanket Sound, Love Hill, Davis Creek, Small Hope Bay, Calabash Bay, Bowen Sound, Behring Point, Little Creek), and one settlement on the west coast—the Black Seminole village of Red Bays at the island’s northwestern tip.

Districts of Andros Island^[30]	Chief Councillor^[31]	Establishment	Seat of Local Government^[32]	Townships^[33]	Map
North Andros District	Brian O’Neal Cleare	1999	Nicholls Town	Mastic Point, Lo we Sound, Nicholl's Town	File:District of Nort h Andros.png
Central Andros District	Clyde Duncombe	1999	Fresh Creek	Staniard Creek, Fr esh Creek, Cargill Creek
Mangrove Cay District	Brian Moxey	1999	Mangrove Cay (Settlement)	none
South Andros District	Zebedee Rolle	1999	Kemps Bay	The Bluff, Long Bay Cays, Kemps Bay, Deep Creek

Religion

There are a number of church denominations represented within Andros. In North Andros, the Anglican Episcopal Church has a presence through St Margaret's Parish.^[34] This parish consists of two churches, St Margaret's located in the settlement of Nicholls Town and St Mary Magdalene located in the settlement of Mastic Point.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau^[35] provides clergy for parishes throughout Andros. On South Andros Sacred Heart parish is in Little Creek and St. Robert Bellarmine parish is in High Rock. Mangrove Cay is served by St. Benedict's parish and Central Andros is served by St. John Chrysostom parish in Fresh Creek and Christ the King parish in Cargill Creek. Catholic services are also provided on Saturday evening at the AUTEC Navy Base chapel.

Gallery

South Andros Island, at Tiamo.
Guardian Blue Hole
View from Saddleback Cay
Sunset from Blanket Sound
Captain Morgan's Cave
Forfar Field Station
Church's Blue Hole
The North Beach of Small Hope Bay Lodge

References

^ "List of Islands by Size". WikiPedia.
^ "Bahamas Out Islands".
^ "National Geographic/ Aug 2010, Blue Holes".
^ "Google Distance Calculator".
^ "AUTEC website".
^ "Forfar Field Station". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
^ . http://www.aferry.co.uk/bahamas-ferry-uk.htm. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
^ http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb/port+department1/sitehome.nsf/subjects/mail+boat+schedule. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "Geography of the Bahamas".
^ "Bahamas Travel Guide/Weather".
^ "Bahamas Weather".
^ About Us "Western Air website". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ [www.androsia.com "Androsia Website"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ "Andros Vacation Information".
^ "ANCAT Website". Andros Conservancy and Trust (ANCAT).
^ "Andros". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
^ The Andros Barrier Reef, The Andros Conservancy and Trust Bahamas (ANCAT)
^ McMorran, Jennifer. The Islands of the Bahamas. p. 271.
^ Randolph, Ph.D., Logan (1994). An Ethnobotanical Investigation of Andros, Island, Bahamas,. pp. 3–4.
^ Campbell, David (1978, 1991). The Ephemeral Islands, A Natural History of the Bahamas. p. 49. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^ "www.geography.org".
^ Carr, Michael. "Water, Precious Water". Sail.net Sailing Community.
^ Campbell, David. The Ephemeral Islands, A Natural History of the Bahamas. p. 34.
^ Brudenell-Bruce, P.B.C. (1975, 1988). The Birds of New Providence and the Bahama Islands. Collins. pp. 10, 13. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^ Wilson Ornithological Society. http://www.jstor.org/pss/4160537. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "TheBahamian.Com/Andros".
^ "The Bahamian.com/Andros".
^ Campbell, David. The Ephemeral Islands, A Antural History of the Bahamas. p. 42.
^ Rob Palmer, Deep into Blue Holes. Unwin Hyman Limited, 1989. ISBN 0-04-440380-1.
^ "Family Island District Councillors & Town Committee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010.
^ ernment--Family+Island+Councillors!Opendocument "Family Island District Councillors & Town Committee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ About+the+Government--Family+Island+Administrators!Opendocument "Posting of Administrators As at 5th January, 2010". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ home.nsf/vContentW/GOV--About+the+Government--Family+Island+Councillors!Opendocument "Family Island District Councillors & Town Com mittee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ "?".^{[dead link]}
^ "Archdiocese of Nassau homepage". Retrieved 20 December 2010.

External links

24°26′N 77°57′W / 24.433°N 77.950°W / 24.433; -77.950

[1] "List of Islands by Size". WikiPedia.

[2] "Bahamas Out Islands".

[3] "National Geographic/ Aug 2010, Blue Holes".

[4] "Google Distance Calculator".

[5] "AUTEC website".

[6] "Forfar Field Station". Retrieved 20 December 2010.

[7] . http://www.aferry.co.uk/bahamas-ferry-uk.htm. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)

[8] ttp://www.bahamas.gov.bs/bahamasweb/port+department1/sitehome.nsf/subjects/mail+boat+schedule. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[9] "Geography of the Bahamas".

[10] "Bahamas Travel Guide/Weather".

[11] "Bahamas Weather".

[12] About Us "Western Air website". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[13] [www.androsia.com "Androsia Website"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[14] "Andros Vacation Information".

[15] "ANCAT Website". Andros Conservancy and Trust (ANCAT).

[16] "Andros". Retrieved 20 December 2010.

[17] The Andros Barrier Reef, The Andros Conservancy and Trust Bahamas (ANCAT)

[18] McMorran, Jennifer. The Islands of the Bahamas. p. 271.

[19] Randolph, Ph.D., Logan (1994). An Ethnobotanical Investigation of Andros, Island, Bahamas,. pp. 3–4.

[20] Campbell, David (1978, 1991). The Ephemeral Islands, A Natural History of the Bahamas. p. 49. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

[21] "www.geography.org".

[22] Carr, Michael. "Water, Precious Water". Sail.net Sailing Community.

[23] Campbell, David. The Ephemeral Islands, A Natural History of the Bahamas. p. 34.

[24] Brudenell-Bruce, P.B.C. (1975, 1988). The Birds of New Providence and the Bahama Islands. Collins. pp. 10, 13. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)

[25] Wilson Ornithological Society. http://www.jstor.org/pss/4160537. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[26] "TheBahamian.Com/Andros".

[27] "The Bahamian.com/Andros".

[28] Campbell, David. The Ephemeral Islands, A Antural History of the Bahamas. p. 42.

[29] Rob Palmer, Deep into Blue Holes. Unwin Hyman Limited, 1989. ISBN 0-04-440380-1.

[30] "Family Island District Councillors & Town Committee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010.

[31] rnment--Family+Island+Councillors!Opendocument "Family Island District Councillors & Town Committee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[32] About+the+Government--Family+Island+Administrators!Opendocument "Posting of Administrators As at 5th January, 2010". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[33] .nsf/vContentW/GOV--About+the+Government--Family+Island+Councillors!Opendocument "Family Island District Councillors & Town Com mittee Members". Retrieved 20 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[34] "?".^{[dead link]}

[35] "Archdiocese of Nassau homepage". Retrieved 20 December 2010.

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@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 Andros lies just north of the [[Tropic of Cancer]], with moderate temperature range affected by its relative proximity to the Gulf Stream to the west.  The island has a semitropical climate with only two seasons, summer (May-November) and winter (December-April). Midsummer temperatures range from 27C-29 C/80F-85F with a relative humidity of 60 to 100 percent. Winter temperatures range from 21C-24C/70-75F and can drop to 5C/41F after dark.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geography of the Bahamas|url=http://www.photius.com/countries/bahamas_the/geography/bahamas_the_geography.html}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|title=Bahamas Travel Guide/Weather|url=http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Bahamas/Weather+and+Climate&nav=next;$sessionid$DGSLA2YAAAVWMP2MN5XCFEQ}}</ref> Andros Island is hit by a Bahamas hurricane an average of every 2.5 years. The Great Florida Hurricane of 1929 is known in the Bahamas as The Great Andros Hurricane. Notable strikes in the modern era have included Hurricanes Betsy (1965), David (1979), Arlene (1987), Andrew (1992), Lili (1996), Floyd (1999), Michelle (2001), and Wilma (2005)<ref>{{cite web|title=Bahamas Weather|url=http://www.bahamasweather.org.bs/index.php?page=storm-history}}</ref>
-==Etymology==
-The Spanish named the island “Espiritu Santo,” the Island of the Holy Spirit.  A 1782 map calls it San Andreas.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} 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, New England, and Virginia.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} However, the island could have been named after the inhabitants of ''St Andro Island''  ([[San Andrés and Providencia Department|St Andrew or San Andrés]]) on the [[Mosquito Coast]], since 1,400 of them settled in Andros in 1787.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} A less likely theory suggests that the island was name after the Greek isle of [[Andros]] by Greek sponge fishermen.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jennifer |last=McMorran |title=The Islands of the Bahamas |page=271 }}</ref>
 == Economy ==
@@ Line 83: / Line 79: @@
 == History ==
-The first inhabitants of Andros Island were probably the indigenous [[Lucayan]] people. The [[Lucayans]] throughout the Bahamas were wiped out mainly by exposure to disease following the arrival of the [[Spain|Spanish]] in the 1550s.
+The first inhabitants of Andros Island were probably the indigenous [[Lucayan]] people. The [[Lucayans]] throughout the Bahamas were wiped out mainly by exposure to disease following the arrival of the [[Spain|Spanish]] in the 1550s
-It is believed that Andros Island was named for [[Edmund Andros]], who served as [[commander]] of [[United Kingdom|British]] Forces in [[Barbados]] in [[1672]], and later the second governor of the [[Dominion of New England]], until deposed during the upheaval of the [[Glorious Revolution]].
 During the 18th century [[pirate]]s occupied the island. Morgan's Bluff and Morgan's Cave on North Andros are named after the famous privateer-pirate, [[Henry Morgan]]. [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] and their slaves also settled in Andros in the late 18th century.
@@ Line 94: / Line 87: @@
 Owing to its proximity to the [[Tongue of the Ocean]] and network of [[Freshwater|fresh]] and [[Seawater|saltwater]] [[blue hole]]s, 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 was built by Dick Birch of Canada. A second resort opened by Archie Forfar, a Canadian native who later died trying to break the Guinness world record for deep diving. His resort, in Blanket Sound, is now home to [[For Far Field Station, Bahamas|Forfar Field Station]], an environmental education facility owned and operated by International Field Studies.
+=== Etymology of the Island's Name ===
+The Spanish named the island “Espiritu Santo,” the Island of the Holy Spirit.  A 1782 map calls it San Andreas.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} 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, New England, and Virginia.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} However, the island could have been named after the inhabitants of ''St Andro Island''  ([[San Andrés and Providencia Department|St Andrew or San Andrés]]) on the [[Mosquito Coast]], since 1,400 of them settled in Andros in 1787.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} A less likely theory suggests that the island was name after the Greek isle of [[Andros]] by Greek sponge fishermen.<ref>{{cite book |first=Jennifer |last=McMorran |title=The Islands of the Bahamas |page=271 }}</ref>
 == Flora and Fauna ==
 “As the largest island in the Bahamas, Andros exhibits greater botanical diversity than any other island. The presence of Andros’ barrier reef and the Tongue of the Ocean give the island a great zoological diversity.”<ref>{{cite book|last=Randolph, Ph.D.|first=Logan|title=An Ethnobotanical Investigation of Andros, Island, Bahamas,|year=1994|pages=3-4}}</ref>   Among the various land eco-systems are hardwood coppice, pineyard, scrub, saltwater marsh, rocky and sandy beaches, palm savannas and mangroves.  Non-coastal areas on Andros are referred to generically as ‘the bush.’ Coastal mangrove flats and estuaries are referred to as ‘the swash,’ or salt water marsh.