Great Inagua is 596 square miles and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba. Pristine and largely uninhabited, with just over 850 people, Inagua is the southernmost island in The Bahamas. Great Inagua is an ideal destination for travelers who are interested in ecotourism. The Inagua National Park, which makes up almost half the island is home to more than 80,000 flamingos –a fantastic recovery for birds once almost at the point of extinction – plus a host of other exotic birds such as Bahama parrots, pelicans, herons, egrets, and Bahama pintail ducks. There is a song “Inagua Is The Best Kept Secret In The Bahamas”, which says it all. Salt production has long been Inaguas main industry, and the island is perfect for it because the climate is mostly dry. Located on Great Inagua is The Morton Salt Company, well-known for seawater salt recovery. Morton Salt has long been the main source of industry and employment. Nearly 1 million pounds of salt is produced from the Salinas of Inagua. The process of producing salt is a fascinating testament to how resourceful and ingenious the combination of man and nature can be. Seawater is pumped into the interior of the island and held in dikes. There are 80 salt ponds covering over 12,000 acres. Salt is bulldozed into bleached, white mountains and shipped around the world for processing.
