'Acklins Island'
|
| Population: | 459 |
| Area (km².): | 389 |
| Capital: | Snug Corner |
'Acklins' is an island and
district of the
Bahamas.
It is one of a group of islands lying in a shallow
lagoon called the
Bight of Acklins, of which the largest are Crooked Island (76 sq mi) in the north and Acklins (120 sq mi) in the southeast, and the smaller are Long Cay [(once known as Fortune Island) 8sq mi] in the northwest, and Castle Island in the south.
The islands were settled by American
Loyalists in the late 1780s who set
cotton plantations employing over 1,000
slaves. After the
abolition of slavery in the
British Empire these became uneconomical, and the replacement income from
sponge diving has now dwindled as well. The inhabitants now live by fishing and small-scale farming.

Map of the Bahamas
The main town in the group is
Colonel Hill on Crooked Island.
Albert Town, on
Long Cay, now sparsely populated, was once a prosperous little town. It was engaged in the sponge and
salt industries and also served as a transfer port for
stevedores seeking work on passing ships.
The population of Acklins was 428, and Crooked Island 350, at the 2000 census.
It is believed that first
Post Office in the Bahamas was at Pitt's Town on Crooked Island.