Originally named 'Yuma' by the Lucayan Indians, and renamed 'Fernandina' by Christopher Columbus during his voyage of discovery into the New World, 'Long Island' only became Long Island some time after it was settled by Loyalists from the Carolinas and their slaves in 1790. Having set up home, these first Europeans set about building large plantations and producing sea-island cotton, an industry which continued until the abolition of slavery made such enterprises unprofitable.
These days, many of the Loyalist mansions still stand as a reminder of the island's past. And although the plantations are overgrown and non-productive, breeding sheep, goats and pigs is popular, as is pothole farming, a method that uses holes in the limestone where fertile topsoil collects, in providing many of the other islands with peas, corn, pineapples and bananas.
As to the pace of life, little has changed there, too. Produce, animals and people still travel down the carriage road, built more than a century ago, to reach all the island's major settlements - Burnt Ground, Simms, Wood Hill, Clarence Town, Roses and South Point - which are all situated around the island's harbours and anchorages.
