Eleuthera is an island in the Bahamas, lying 50 miles (80 km) east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles (180 km) long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000. The name "Eleuthera" is derived from the Greek word for "free".
The topography of the island varies from wide rolling pink sand beaches to large outcrops of ancient coral reefs. The eastern side of the island faces the Atlantic Ocean while the western side faces the Caribbean Sea.
Eleuthera has 35 miles of pink and white-sand beaches along its shores. Gauldin Bay Beach is a very secluded beach north of Gregory Town. Surfer's Beach on the Atlantic Ocean is famous for winter surfing thanks to the strong, rising wave action. Sea Side Beach is in Rainbow Bay north of Governor's Harbour and has great snorkeling. Governor's Harbour has a beautiful pink-sand beach. One end is usually deserted, but the other is often crowded with Club Med guests. For a fee you can use their facilities and join their activities. Ocean Side beach stretches several miles down the coast and is rarely crowded. West Beach is located on the Savannah Sound, which separates Eleuthera from Windermere Island. Harbour Island is also close to Eleuthera and is completely encircled by a beautiful pink-sand beach. The island has numerous resorts that provide facilities and water sports.
The original population of Taino, or Arawaks, was mostly deported by the Spanish to work in the mines of Hispaniola, where they died out by 1550. The island is believed to have been unoccupied until the first European settlers—puritan pilgrims—arrived in 1648 from Bermuda. These settlers, known as the "Eleutherian Adventurers", gave the island its current name—eleutheria means "freedom" in Greek, while eleuthera means "free". Some people think that Christopher Columbus may have come to Eleuthera before any other islands in the West Indies.
