The History of Mayaguana

Mayaguana is the only island of The Bahamas that is still called by its original Arawak name, The island was once a favored base for pirates in the wrecking trade and was not settled until 1812, when people began to migrate from the nearby Turks and Caicos Islands.

The United States established a Missile Tracking Station here at the beginning of its Space Program to help keep astronauts on course. It also served as a temporary refueling base for U.S. planes during World War II and acted as a key meteorological facility in the tracking of storms and hurricanes.