Guanima Republic

Guanima is a constituent republic of Lucaya Commonwealth.

Guanima Republic
Island of Cat Island
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Lucaya Commonwealth
Accession	1930, as part of the Alford Agreement
Area	389 km²
Capital	New Bight
Languages	English, Lucayan
Population	2,803

The Guanima Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei in the central Lucayan archipelago, a long and hilly island with a very small population and a reputation for quietness that its few thousand residents take as a point of pride. The island has the highest elevation in the Bahamas – though the Bahamas are not a mountainous place, and the summit of Mount Alvernia at 63 metres gives you a good view of the island’s considerable bush and, on clear days, the curve of the sea.

The Hermitage at the top of Alvernia – a tiny stone chapel, stations of the cross, a monk’s cell cut into the rock – was built by an eccentric priest who retired there in the mid-20th Century and spent his remaining years carving the stations by hand from the local limestone. He is now one of the island’s most famous former residents. The Hermitage is maintained by the republic and receives a steady small number of pilgrims and curious visitors, most arriving by ferry from Nassau and walking up from New Bight.

Cat Island was the name given by the English, possibly from the wild cats that once populated it, and possibly after the pirate Arthur Catt who allegedly operated from its coves – no one is entirely sure, and residents prefer Guanima, the Lucayan name, though both appear in usage. The island has a long history of Obeah, the syncretic folk magic and spiritual practice of the Caribbean, and while Vekllei civil law applies uniformly, local customs remain strong and largely unmolested by the regional and federal government.

The island is largely self-sufficient by necessity. Its small population supports limited services, and while federalisation has brought improvements in schools, healthcare and infrastructure, Guanima remains one of the more remote and traditional republics in the Commonwealth. Fishing and smallholding are the primary occupations.

Climate

Warm tropical with distinct wet and dry seasons. Drier than many Lucayan islands, with lower humidity. Hurricane risk in late summer.

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