Guanima is a constituent republic of Lucaya Region.
| Guanima Republic | |
|---|---|
| Island of Cat Island | |
| Constituent Republic of Vekllei | |
 |
|
| Part of the Lucaya Region | |
| It is best known in Vekllei for its school of Lucayan archaeology and for the hermitage at its summit. | |
| Population | 2,803 |
| Demographics |
55% Afro-Bahamian 30% Lucayan Loyalists 15% Caribbean mixed
|
| Economy | Fisheries & shipping Arable farming, Livestock & dairy |
| Produces | Fish, Shellfish, Root Vegetables, Tomatoes, Fruit |
| Working week | 18.7 hours |
| Specialisation | Transport |
| Accession | 1935, as part of the Alford Agreement |
| Area | 389 km² |
| Capital | New Bight |
| Languages | English, Lucayan |
The Guanima Republic (also Cat Island) is a constituent republic of the Commonwealth in the middle of the Lucayan archipelago, east of Curateo and northwest of Rum. It is a long and narrow island, nowhere more than a few kilometres across, which rises inland to bush-covered hills and to Mount Alvernia near its centre, the highest point in the archipelago at 63 metres. It is best known in Vekllei for its school of Lucayan archaeology and for the hermitage at its summit.
Guanimans call the island by its Lucayan name, though the English name of Cat Island is used interchangeably, after either the wild cats once found there or the pirate Arthur Catt. Like the rest of Lucaya Region, the island was held by the British throughout the colonial period, and it joined Vekllei in 1935 under the Alford Agreement. Most of its three thousand people live in the capital of New Bight, and the rest are spread along the west coast.
Most visitors to Guanima make the climb up Mount Alvernia to the Hermitage, a stone chapel and monk’s cell that a priest carved by hand out of the local limestone. He retired to the hill in the mid-20th Century and lived there until his death, and the republic has kept up the chapel and its stations of the cross ever since. You can see the sea on both sides of the island from the top on a clear day. There is a deep sense of spirituality in Guanima, and not just because of the Hermitage – obeah has deep roots there, and although Vekllei civil law applies in the ordinary way, the regional and federal governments have mostly left local custom alone.
New Bight is also home to the Guanima Caribbean School, a constituent school of CUWI teaching education, colonial history and Lucayan archaeology. Its Caribbean History Centre collects the oral history of the archipelago, and works with the Commonwealth Central Archives on the Carib & Lucayan Oral History Programme. Students come from across Lucaya to study there. The republic is otherwise known for its seafood, and fishing is still the most common registered occupation on the island. Outside New Bight most homes are homesteads and practice municipal agriculture, growing tomatoes, root vegetables and fruit. The island also produces a lot of honey.
The Arthur Railway Company runs a single line north from New Bight along the west coast, and the roads inland are generally poorly kept. Fernandez Bay just north of the capital is a wide sandy stretch where most of the swimming happens, and there is a small village of traditional Lucayan wooden houses there. Devil’s Point on the southwest coast is mangrove and wading birds, and is only accessible by boat or a long walk through the bush. Some historians claim Columbus Point at the southern tip as the true landing site of Columbus in 1492. Ferries leave New Bight for Nassau and the neighbouring republics.
- Electronic Components
- Petroleum
- Glass
- Wheat
- Medicines
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetables
Climate
Warm tropical with distinct wet and dry seasons. Drier than many Lucayan islands, with lower humidity. Hurricane risk in late summer.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 26° 19° 26° 19° 27° 20° 28° 22° 29° 24° 31° 26° 31° 27° 31° 27° 31° 26° 29° 25° 28° 23° 26° 20°
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 26° 19° 26° 19° 27° 20° 28° 22° 29° 24° 31° 26° Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 31° 27° 31° 27° 31° 26° 29° 25° 28° 23° 26° 20°
Public Holidays
- New Year’s Day 1 Jan
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Commonwealth Day 1 May
- Emancipation Day 1st Mon/Aug
- Discovery Day 12 Oct
- Christmas Day 25 Dec
- Boxing Day 26 Dec
- The Hermitage: Stone chapel and monk’s cells at the summit of Mount Alvernia, the highest point in the Bahamas, built and carved by hand by a 20th-century hermit priest.
- Fernandez Bay: Wide sandy bay near New Bight with excellent swimming and a small village of traditional Lucayan wooden houses.
- Columbus Point: The island’s southern tip, claimed by some historians to be the true first landing site of Columbus in 1492.
- Devil’s Point: Remote southern headland with mangroves and abundant wading birds, accessible only by boat or a long walk through the bush.
- Agriculture, Land & Sea 12.6%
- Healthcare 10.7%
- Education 9.4%
- Skilled Trades & Construction 9.1%
All 19 groups
Hide table
- Agriculture, Land & Sea 12.6%
- Healthcare 10.7%
- Education 9.4%
- Skilled Trades & Construction 9.1%
| Occupation | Share | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Land & Sea | 12.6% | 420 |
| Healthcare | 10.7% | 360 |
| Education | 9.4% | 320 |
| Skilled Trades & Construction | 9.1% | 310 |
| Domestic | 9.0% | 300 |
| Transport | 7.0% | 230 |
| Government & Civil Administration | 6.5% | 220 |
| Industry | 6.5% | 220 |
| Arts & Media | 4.6% | 150 |
| Security & Defence | 4.4% | 150 |
| Retail, Distribution & Logistics | 3.5% | 120 |
| Sport & Recreation | 3.0% | 100 |
| Economic Planning | 3.0% | 100 |
| Hospitality & Participatory Trades | 2.2% | 70 |
| Law & Justice | 2.2% | 70 |
| Science & Research | 2.0% | 70 |
| Information & Communications | 1.8% | 60 |
| Energy & Resources | 1.5% | 50 |
| Religious & Ceremonial | 1.1% | <50 |
Register estimates of posts located in the republic, rounded; figures under 50 suppressed.
-
1492
Columbus Point on Guanima is claimed by some historians as Columbus’s true landing site