Pre-colonizationEdit

Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the Piedmont for thousands of years. The historic Catawba Indian Nation, a traditionally Siouan-speaking tribe, was here at the time of European encounter. Currently the only tribe in South Carolina that is federally recognized, its members live near Rock Hill.

Although some European settlers had already arrived in the Rock Hill area in the 1830s and 1840s, Rock Hill did not become an actual town until the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad Company made the decision to send a rail line through the area. Originally, the railroad had hoped to build a station in the nearby village of Ebenezerville which was squarely between Charlotte, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina. When approached, however, the locals in Ebenezerville refused to have the railroad run through their village since they considered it dirty and noisy. Instead, engineers and surveyors decided to run the line two miles away by a local landmark. According to some accounts, the engineers marked the spot on the map and named it "rocky hill."[6](p26)

Some of Rock Hill's early founding familiesthe White family, the Black family, and the Mooresbelieved that having a rail depot so close to them would be advantageous, so they decided to give the Columbia and Charlotte Railroad the right of way through their properties. As the three largest landowners in the area, this settled the matter. George Pendleton White contracted with the railroad to build a section of the line. Construction began in 1848. The first passenger train arrived on March 23, 1852. A few weeks later, on April 17, 1852, the first Rock Hill Post Office opened.[6](pp2628)

Now that Rock Hill had a name, a railroad station, and a post office, it began to draw more settlers to the area. Captain J. H. McGinnis built a small general store near the station in 1849 or 1850 to provide supplies for the construction and railroad workers.[6](pp2728) Templeton Black, who had leased the land to McGinnis, decided to devote some of his other adjacent land to building a larger town. He hired a local surveyor, Squire John Roddey, to organize a main street. Black sold his first plot of land along that street to Ira Ferguson for $125 a few weeks before the post office opened; other businessmen bought plots quickly after that.[6](p28)

Rock Hill Academy, the first school in Rock Hill, opened in September 1854. Despite its official name, most residents referred to it as the Pine Grove Academy after the pine grove it was located in. Ann Hutchinson White, wife of George White, donated the land to the school after her husband's death. The school had 60 male pupils in 1856; a school for girls was later opened in the same place.[6](p28)

Shortly before the American Civil War began a census had been taken of the population in York County, where Rock Hill is located. Half of the district's 21,800 residents were slaves, integral to local cotton production. The 4,379 white males in the county formed fourteen infantry companies; some of the men joined cavalry or artillery units instead. By the end of the war, 805 of these men were dead, and hundreds more were wounded. Men from Rock Hill and York County were involved in many of the major Civil War battles.[6](p35)

Due to its position on the railroad, Rock Hill became a transfer point for Confederate soldiers and supplies moving to and from the front. Since there was no local hospital, townspeople nursed sick and wounded soldiers in their homes. Refugees fleeing the coastal blockade or General Sherman's troops also came to Rock Hill.[6](p39)

Beginning in the spring of 1862, local area farmers switched from cotton to corn in order to produce more food.[6](p39) Records show that prices in Rock Hill changed frequently during the war, reflecting both shortages and the inflation of the Confederate paper money.[6](p41)

Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard set up a temporary headquarters in Rock Hill on February 21, 1865.[6](p41) He ordered the roads to Charlotte blocked to try to prevent General Sherman from reaching the city; Sherman ultimately went in a different direction.

When General Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, it was actually a future Rock Hill resident who was responsible for waving the white flag. Captain Robert Moorman Sims, a farmer from Lancaster County, was sent by General James Longstreet to inform Union troops that the Confederate troops wanted a truce.[6](p42)

The Civil War changed the social, economic, and political situation in Rock Hill tremendously, as it did elsewhere in the South. Rock Hill grew as a town, taking in war refugees, widows and their families, and the return of the men who had left to fight the war.[6](p58) The formerly wealthy elite sold off their land to stay afloat financially. Town life began to become more important than rural life.

Most of the merchants in Rock Hill around 1870 were former Confederate soldiers; many were entrepreneurs who were new to town, trying to start over.[6](p59) In 1870, even the largest stores in Rock Hill were only one story tall, and there were no sidewalks on the roads. The first drug store in Rock Hill opened in the 1870s.[6](p61) A locally contentious bordello was built in 1881 and introduced the town's first paved sidewalk.[6](p61)

The town was not officially incorporated until 1870, on the third try.

The first attempt to get Rock Hill incorporated was made in 1855. A petition, signed by major landholders and businessmen from the Rock Hill area, was presented to the General Assembly on October 19, 1855.[6](p29) No action on the matter was taken by the General Assembly.

The second attempt was in 1868. In their petition, the townspeople claimed that Rock Hill had over 300 residents, "eleven stores, two churches, two bars, two hotels, two carriage shops, three blacksmith shops, three shoe shops, one tannery, one cabinet shop, and elementary schools for white girls and boys." The petition was signed by 48 men, most relative newcomers to Rock Hill, with only a few members of the old, established, landed families. The larger landholders opposed incorporation because of the taxes it would bring. They filed a counter-proposal which claimed that there were only 100 residents, many of them temporary.[6](p63) The situation was a strong indication of the changes Rock Hill experienced as it transitioned from mostly farms to a business community. Ultimately, the state legislature did not act on either petition and Rock Hill was still not incorporated.

The third, successful petition was made in 1869, only one year after 1868's failed petition. This time there were 57 signers in favor of incorporation, with only seven opponents. The opponents collectively owned 80% of the land that would be incorporated into Rock Hill if the petition was successful. They were unsuccessful at preventing incorporation this time; Rock Hill was officially incorporated on February 26, 1870.[6](p64)

Rock Hill celebrated its centennial in 1952 and its sesquicentennial in 2002.

Four unincorporated communities of York County have been annexed to the city: Boyd Hill in the late 1940s, Ebenezer and Mexico in the 1960s, and Oakdale in the 1980s.

Rock Hill was the setting for two significant events in the civil rights movement. In February 1961, nine African-American men went to jail at the York County prison farm after staging a sit-in at a segregated McCrory's lunch counter in downtown Rock Hill. Their offense was reported to be "refusing to stop singing hymns during their morning devotions." The event gained nationwide attention as the men followed an untried strategy called "jail, no bail."[7] Rejecting bail was a way to lessen the huge financial burden which civil rights groups were facing as the sit-in movement spread across the South.[7] As their actions gained widespread national news coverage, the tactic was adopted by other civil rights groups. The men became known as the Friendship Nine because eight of the nine men were students at Rock Hill's Friendship Junior College.[8]

Later in 1961, Rock Hill was the first stop in the Deep South for a group of 13 Freedom Riders, who boarded buses in Washington, DC, and headed South to test the 1960 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court outlawing racial segregation in all interstate public facilities. When the civil rights leader John Lewis and another black man stepped off the bus at Rock Hill, they were beaten by a white mob that was uncontrolled by police. The event drew national attention.

In 2002, Lewis, by then a US Congressman from Georgia, returned to Rock Hill, where he had been invited as a speaker at Winthrop University and was given the key to the city. On January 21, 2008, Rep. Lewis returned to Rock Hill again and spoke at the city's Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday observance. Mayor Doug Echols officially apologized to him on the city's behalf for the Freedom Riders' treatment in the city.[9]

Rock Hill has had repeated conflict with its neighbors. In 2007 a lawsuit was filed against the city by its county seat to stop a rural landfill.[10] In 2011[11] and 2012[12] the city waste proxy contracted with Synagro[13] to spread treated human sewage sludge in rural areas and different counties were met with resistance and complaints. Some residents have questioned the city's ethics and threatened lawsuits over the practice of being a "dumping ground" for Rock Hill's waste. The city has expressed interest in Keck and Woods "waste to energy" plant in Cabarrus County, North Carolina to safely dispose of sludge.[14]

The symbols of the city are the four Civitas (pl. civitates) statues, installed in 1991 at the Gateway corridor on Dave Lyle Boulevard.[citation needed]

Each holds a disc that symbolizes the four drivers of the city's economy - Gears of Industry, Flames of Knowledge, Stars of Inspiration, and Bolts of Energy. The ribbons in the Civitates' clothing and hair transform into wings, inferring the textile industry as the foundation of the city's growth.[citation needed]

The 22-foot-tall (6.7m) Civitas statues were made of bronze by the New York sculptor Audrey Flack. Originally they were to be installed in Uptown Charlotte, but were offered to the city of Rock Hill.

In 1992, a fifth Civitas statue by Flack was placed at the City Hall in downtown Rock Hill.

The 60-foot-tall (18m) columns that form the Gateway came from the old (1914-87) Egyptian Revival Masonic Temple in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were gifted to the city by the First Union Corporation, and are regarded among the areas most treasured historical artefacts.[citation needed]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.16 square miles (111.8km2), of which, 43.0 square miles (111km2) of it is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41km2) of it (0.4%) is water.

Rock Hill is located along the Catawba River in the north-central section of the Piedmont of South Carolina near Charlotte. The city sits at an elevation of around 676 feet (206m) above sea level. It is located approximately 150 miles (240km) from the Atlantic Ocean and 75 miles (121km) from the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Rock Hill has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by humid summers and cool dry winters. Precipitation does not vary greatly between seasons. July is the hottest month, with an average high temperature of 91F (33C) and an average low temperature of 71F (22C).[15] The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is 51F (11C) and the average low temperature is 31F (1C).[15] The warmest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106F (41C) in 1983 and tied in 2007.[15] The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was 4F (20C) in 1985.[15]

As of the 2010 census,[5] there were 66,154 people and 16,059 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.2 people per square kilometre (2,983.5/sq mi). There were 29,159 housing units at an average density of 252.4 per square kilometre (653.8/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 54.6% White, 38.3% Black, 1.7% Asian, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 25,966 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 14.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.9 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

Rock Hill's economy was once dominated by the textile industry, and the restructuring of that industry in moving jobs overseas caused a decline in the local economy. The median income for a household in the city was $37,336, and the median income for a family was $45,697. Males had a median income of $32,156 versus $24,181 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,929. About 9.7% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over. The unemployment rate of the city was 8.7 percent and 11,874 of the 71,459 residents lived and worked in the city with a daytime population change of +5,208 as of March 2011.[19] The city is transitioning to a retail and manufacturing economy, and has been working to attract national and global companies.

Three major natural disasters have struck the city.

On November 26, 1926 a destructive tornado struck downtown Rock Hill. It was the day after Thanksgiving, late in the season for such a violent storm. The "black as ink twister" took less than 10 minutes to change the face of the business section. The storm touched down in western York County, and entered Rock Hill from the west. Once in the town, the twister cut a path about three blocks wide, leaving 60 homes heavily damaged, the hospital roof removed, and cars flipped or crushed. By the end, the total damage for the whole town was $150,000. The tornado was responsible for one death and 12 injuries within Rock Hill.

Hurricane Hugo struck the city on the morning of September 22, 1989. The storm ripped through the city with sustained winds over 90 MPH, toppling massive oak and pine trees. Schools were closed for weeks because of widespread damage to roads and facilities. The total damage cost for the entire state of South Carolina was around $4.2 billion. The storm was a category 3 when it entered the county and was a category 2 as it left the county.

A complex series of low pressure systems moved across South Carolina from February 2527 of 2004. Starting as a mix of snow and sleet, the storm became all snow as the low pulled off the Carolina coast. Cold arctic air settled over the Carolinas and dumped 22inches of snow, with lightning, gusty winds, and some areas getting up to 28inches.[20] Sustained winds over 40 MPH across Rock Hill knocked out power, resulting in schools' closing for a week. It was the worst overall blizzard to hit the area.[citation needed]

Rock Hill is served by York County School District 3, which has twenty-seven schools in the city, including seventeen elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools. The public high schools in Rock Hill are Rock Hill High School (first built high school in the city), Northwestern, and South Pointe, the newest high school in the city. Public middle schools in Rock Hill are Saluda Trail Middle School, Castle Heights Middle School, Sullivan Middle School, Rawlinson Road Middle School, and (the newest) Dutchman Creek Middle School. The district has a student enrollment of around 25,000.[21][22] A variety of religious schools also serve the city of Rock Hill, including St. Anne's Catholic School and Westminster Catawba. The city is also home to York County's only Charter school, York Preparatory Academy.

There are three colleges in Rock Hill. The most prominent institution is Winthrop University, founded in 1886 as a women's college. It is a thriving, public, co-ed four-year liberal arts college with an annual enrollment of over 7,000 students. Clinton Junior College is a historically black, two-year institution founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1894. It is now a community college for the city of Rock Hill and York County.[23]York Technical College opened in Rock Hill in 1964. This two-year community college offers associate degrees and provides continuing education for approximately 9,000 area residents annually and is growing each year.[24]

Rock Hill is home to a daily newspaper, The Herald, which covers the area. Magazines include Rock Hill Magazine and YC (York County) Magazine (which covers the entire county).

OTS Media Group owns and operates WRHI (News/Sports, 1340 AM and 94.3 FM), WRHM-FM Country/Sports and WRHM-FM HD2/W281BE (Contemporary Christian, 104.1 FM). There are also WAVO (Standards, 1150 AM), NPR affiliate WNSC-FM (88.9 FM), and the Southside Baptist Church of Rock Hill Christian broadcast station, WRHJ-LP 93.1.

Rock Hill has several television stations: PBS affiliate WNSC-TV (Channel 30), CN2, a daily cable news program produced by Comporium Communications for York, Chester, and Lancaster counties; Fox-owned MyNetworkTV station WMYT-TV Channel 55, is licensed to Rock Hill, but serves the entire Charlotte market, while their studios are shared with sister station WJZY-TV in unincorporated Mecklenburg County, NC.

Rock Hill has two local airports. The Rock Hill/York County Airport is a municipal airport for the city of Rock Hill and serves non-commercial flights. The airport is located minutes from Rock Hill's Central business district. Also called Bryant Field, it was named for Robert E. Bryant, an aviator with two international records and an inductee in the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame (The name is no longer used for the airport because of confusion with Bryant Field (airport)). It is owned and operated by the City of Rock Hill, but York County is also represented on the Airport Commission. The other local airport, the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, is one of the busiest airports in the United States and is located 20 miles from Rock Hill in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rock Hill has one regional transit system, The Charlotte Area Transit System that offers express bus service from Rock Hill to Charlotte.

Rock Hill has its own fire and police departments.

Piedmont Medical Center is an acute care hospital with a Level III trauma center, located in Rock Hill.

Rock Hill hosts several seasonal events. Each spring there is a festival called Come-See-Me which brings more than 125,000 people to the city each year from across the country. Come-See-Me was voted as the number one South Carolina Festival and has been featured in Southern Living magazine. On Independence Day, Rock Hill hosts its annual Red, White, and Boom Festival. Over the first weekend of each October, the Arts Council of York County hosts the Blues & Jazz Festival, which includes a restaurant crawl through Old Town Rock Hill, and a day of blues & jazz events for children. In November, the Arts Council hosts the Underexposed Film Festival YC, bringing independently-created short films from across the world to Rock Hill. A winter festival is held annually in the first week of December and is called ChristmasVille Rock Hill; it has been voted one of South Carolina's most visited attractions.

Five museums are located in the city, and many more in the area.

Museums outside Rock Hill include Historic Brattonsville, the Catawba Cultural Center at the Catawba Indian reservation, and several museums located in the Charlotte area.

The city operates under a Council-Manager form of government. The governing body is composed of a mayor and six members. The mayor is determined through a nonpartisan, at-large election for a four-year term of office while council members are chosen through nonpartisan, single-member district elections. Council members are elected to staggered four-year terms of office.

The city council is a legislative body, establishing policies with recommendations from the city administrator. The city manager acts as the chief administrator of the council's policies implemented through the administrative control of city departments given to him by ordinance.

Rock Hill is a four-time winner of America's Promise Alliance "100 Best Communities for Young People",[31] and a two-time winner of "All-American City".[citation needed]

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Rock Hill, South Carolina - Wikipedia

The Galpagos Islands (official name: Archipilago de Coln, other Spanish name: Islas Galpagos, Spanish pronunciation:[izlaz alapaos]) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, 906km (563mi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. The islands are known for their vast number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, as his observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

The Galpagos Islands and their surrounding waters form the Galpagos Province of Ecuador, the Galpagos National Park, and the Galpagos Marine Reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000.[1]

The first recorded visit to the islands happened by chance in 1535, when Fray Toms de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panam, was blown off course during a voyage to Peru to arbitrate in a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro. De Berlanga eventually returned to the Spanish Empire and described the conditions of the islands and the animals that inhabited them. The group of islands was shown and named in Abraham Ortelius's atlas published in 1570. The first crude map of the islands was made in 1684 by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley, who named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after British royalty and noblemen. These names were used in the authoritative navigation charts of the islands prepared during the Beagle survey under captain Robert Fitzroy, and in Darwin's popular book The Voyage of the Beagle. The new Republic of Ecuador took the islands from Spanish ownership in 1832, and subsequently gave them official Spanish names.[2] The older names remained in use in English language publications, including Herman Melville's The Encantadas of 1854.

The islands are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 973km (605mi) off the west coast of South America. The closest land mass is that of mainland Ecuador, the country to which they belong, 926km/500nmi to the east.

The islands are found at the coordinates 140'N136'S, 8916'9201'W. Straddling the equator, islands in the chain are located in both the northern and southern hemispheres, with Volcn Wolf and Volcn Ecuador on Isla Isabela being directly on the equator. Espaola Island, the southernmost islet of the archipelago, and Darwin Island, the northernmost one, are spread out over a distance of 220km (137mi). The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) considers them wholly within the South Pacific Ocean, however.[3] The Galpagos Archipelago consists of 7,880km2 (3,040sqmi) of land spread over 45,000km2 (17,000sqmi) of ocean. The largest of the islands, Isabela, measures 2,250 sq mi/5,827km2[4] and makes up close to three-quarters of the total land area of the Galpagos. Volcn Wolf on Isabela is the highest point, with an elevation of 1,707m (5,600ft) above sea level.

The group consists of 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The islands are located at the Galapagos Triple Junction. The archipelago is located on the Nazca Plate (a tectonic plate), which is moving east/southeast, diving under the South American Plate at a rate of about 2.5 inches (6.4cm) per year.[5] It is also atop the Galpagos hotspot, a place where the Earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume, creating volcanoes. The first islands formed here at least 8million and possibly up to 90million years ago.[6]

While the older islands have disappeared below the sea as they moved away from the mantle plume, the youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still being formed, with the most recent volcanic eruption in April 2009 where lava from the volcanic island Fernandina started flowing both towards the island's shoreline and into the center caldera.

The 18[7] main islands (each having a land area at least 1km2) of the archipelago (with their English names) shown alphabetically:

Although located on the Equator, the Humboldt Current brings cold water to the islands, causing frequent drizzles during most of the year. The weather is periodically influenced by the El Nio events, which occur about every 37 years and are characterized by warm sea surface temperatures, a rise in sea level, greater wave action, and a depletion of nutrients in the water.[9]

During the season known as the gara (June to November), the temperature by the sea is 22C (72F), a steady and cold wind blows from south and southeast, frequent drizzles (garas) last most of the day, and dense fog conceals the islands. During the warm season (December to May), the average sea and air temperature rises to 25C (77F), there is no wind at all, there are sporadic, though strong, rains and the sun shines.

Weather changes as altitude increases in the large islands. Temperature decreases gradually with altitude, while precipitation increases due to the condensation of moisture in clouds on the slopes. There is a large range in precipitation from one place to another, not only with altitude, but also depending on the location of the islands, and also with the seasons.

The following table corresponding to the wet 1969 shows the variation of precipitation in different places of Santa Cruz Island:

The precipitation also depends on the geographical location. During March 1969, the precipitation over Charles Darwin Station, on the southern coast of Santa Cruz was 249.0mm (9.80in), while on Baltra Island, the precipitation during the same month was only 137.6mm (5.42in). This is because Baltra is located behind Santa Cruz with respect to the prevailing southerly winds, so most of the moisture gets precipitated in the Santa Cruz highlands.

There are significant changes in precipitation from one year to another, too. At Charles Darwin Station, the precipitation during March 1969 was 249.0mm (9.80in), but during March 1970, it was only 1.2mm (0.05in).

On the larger islands, the pattern of generally wet highlands and drier lowlands impacts the flora. The vegetation in the highlands tends to be green and lush, with tropical woodland in places. The lowland areas tend to have arid and semi-arid vegetation, with many thorny shrubs and cacti, and almost bare volcanic rock elsewhere.

According to a 1952 study by Thor Heyerdahl and Arne Skjlsvold, remains of potsherds and other artifacts from several sites on the islands suggest visitation by South American peoples in pre-Columbian era.[10] The group located an Inca flute and shards from more than 130 pieces of ceramics, which were later identified as pre-Incan. However, no remains of graves, ceremonial vessels and constructions have ever been found, suggesting no permanent settlement occurred prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century.[11] It is not clear who the first visitors to the islands were, but they were probably sailors blown off course or people on hapless fishing boats blown out to sea. Most of them were likely unimpressed by the lack of fresh water on the islands. Whether the Incas ever made it here is disputed; in 1572, Spanish chronicler Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa claimed that Topa Inca Yupanqui, the second Sapa Inca of the Inca Empire had visited the archipelago, but there is little evidence for this, and many experts consider it a far-fetched legend, especially since the Incas were not seafaring people.[12]

European discovery of the Galpagos Islands occurred when Spaniard Fray Toms de Berlanga, the fourth Bishop of Panama, sailed to Peru to settle a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and his lieutenants. De Berlanga's vessel drifted off course when the winds diminished, and his party reached the islands on 10 March 1535.

The Galpagos Islands first appeared on the maps of Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius, in about 1570.[13] The islands were named "Insulae de los Galopegos" (Islands of the Tortoises) in reference to the giant tortoises found there.[14]

The first English captain to visit the Galpagos Islands was Richard Hawkins, in 1593. Until the early 19th century, the archipelago was often used as a hideout by mostly English pirates who pilfered Spanish galleons carrying gold and silver from South America to Spain.

In 1793, James Colnett described the flora and fauna of Galpagos, and suggested the islands could be used as base for the whalers operating in the Pacific Ocean. He drew the first accurate navigation charts of the islands. Whalers and maritime fur traders killed and captured thousands of the Galpagos tortoises to extract their fat. The tortoises could be kept on board ship as a means of providing of fresh protein, as these animals could survive for several months on board without any food or water. The hunting of the tortoises was responsible for greatly diminishing, and in some cases eliminating, certain species. Along with whalers came the fur-seal hunters, who brought the population of this animal close to extinction.

The first known permanent human resident on Galpagos was Patrick Watkins, an Irish sailor who was marooned on the Island Floreana from 1807 to 1809. According to later accounts,[15][16] Watkins managed to survive by hunting, growing vegetables and trading with visiting whalers, before finally stealing an open boat and navigating to Guayaquil.

In 1818 the Nantucket whaleship Globe, under Captain George Washington Gardner, discovered a "mother lode" of sperm whales some thousand miles west of the South American coast approximately at the equator. He returned to Nantucket in 1820 with more than 2000 barrels of sperm whale oil and the news of his discovery. This led to an influx of whaleships to exploit the new whaling ground and the Galpagos Islands became a frequent stop for the whalers both before and after visiting what came to be known as the Offshore Grounds. This led to the establishment in the Galpagos Islands of a kind of unofficial "post office" where whaleships stopped to pick up and drop off letters as well as for purposes of provisioning and repairs.[17]

In October 1820, the whaleship Essex, out of Nantucket, stopped at the Galpagos for these purposes on its way to the Offshore Grounds. On what was then known as Charles Island, while most of the crew were hunting tortoises one crewmember, English boatsteerer Thomas Chappel, for reasons still unclear, lit a fire which quickly burned out of control. Some of the tortoise hunters had a narrow escape and had to run a gauntlet of fire to get back to the ship. Soon almost the entire island was in flames. Crewmembers reported that after a day of sailing away they could still see the flames against the horizon. One crewmember who returned to the Galpagos several years afterward described the entire island as still a blackened wasteland.[18]

Ecuador annexed the Galpagos Islands on 12 February 1832, naming them the Archipelago of Ecuador. This new name added to several names that had been, and are still, used to refer to the archipelago. The first governor of Galpagos, General Jos de Villamil, brought a group of convicts to populate the island of Floreana, and in October 1832, some artisans and farmers joined them.

The voyage of the Beagle brought the survey ship HMS Beagle, under captain Robert FitzRoy, to the Galpagos on 15 September 1835 to survey approaches to harbours. The captain and others on board, including his companion, the young naturalist Charles Darwin, made observations on the geology and biology on Chatham, Charles, Albemarle and James islands before they left on 20 October to continue on their round-the-world expedition. Primarily a geologist at the time, Darwin was impressed by the quantity of volcanic craters they saw, later referring to the archipelago as "that land of craters." His study of several volcanic formations over the 5 weeks he stayed in the islands, led to several important geological discoveries, including the first, correct explanation for how volcanic tuff is formed.[19] Darwin noticed the mockingbirds differed between islands, though he thought the birds now known as Darwin's finches were unrelated to each other, and did not bother labelling them by island.[20]Nicholas Lawson, acting Governor of Galpagos for the Republic of the Equator, met them on Charles Island, and as they walked to the prison colony, Lawson told Darwin the tortoises differed from island to island.[21] Towards the end of the voyage, Darwin speculated that the distribution of the mockingbirds and the tortoises might "undermine the stability of Species".[22] When specimens of birds were analysed on his return to England, it was found that many apparently different kinds of birds were species of finches, which were unique to islands. These facts were crucial in Darwin's development of his theory of natural selection explaining evolution, which was presented in The Origin of Species.[20]

Jos Valdizn and Manuel Julin Cobos tried a new colonization, beginning the exploitation of a type of lichen found in the islands (Roccella portentosa) used as a coloring agent. After the assassination of Valdizn by some of his workers, Cobos brought from the continent a group of more than a hundred workers to San Cristbal Island, and tried his luck at planting sugar cane. He ruled his plantation with an iron hand, which led to his assassination in 1904. In 1897, Antonio Gil began another plantation on Isabela Island.

Over the course of a whole year, from September 1904, an expedition of the Academy of Sciences of California, led by Rollo Beck, stayed in the Galpagos collecting scientific material on geology, entomology, ornithology, botany, zoology and herpetology. Another expedition from that Academy was done in 1932 (Templeton Crocker Expedition) to collect insects, fish, shells, fossils, birds and plants.

For a long time during the early 1900s and at least through 1929, a cash strapped Ecuador had reached out for potential buyers of the islands to alleviate financial troubles at home. The US had repeatedly expressed its interest in buying the islands for military use as they were positioned strategically guarding the Panama Canal.[23]

In 1920s and 1930s, a small wave of European settlers arrived in the islands. There occurred a series of unsolved disappearances on the island of Floreana in the 1930s among the largely European expatriate residents at the time. The Galpagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden is a 2013 feature-length documentary film about the same. Ecuadorian laws provided all colonists with the possibility of receiving twenty hectares each of free land, the right to maintain their citizenship, freedom from taxation for the first ten years in Galpagos, and the right to hunt and fish freely on all uninhabited islands where they might settle.[24] The first European colonists to arrive were Norwegians who settled briefly on Floreana, before moving on to San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. A few years later, other colonists from Europe, America and Ecuador started arriving on the islands, seeking a simpler life.[25] Descendants of the Norwegian Kastdalen family and the German Angermeyer still live on the islands.

During World War II, Ecuador authorized the United States to establish a naval base in Baltra Island, and radar stations in other strategic locations. Baltra was established as a United States Army Air Force base. Baltra was given the name of "Beta Base" along with "Alpha Base" in Nicaragua and "Gamma Base" in Salinas (continental Ecuador). The Crews stationed at Baltra and the aforementioned locations established a geographic triangle of protection in charge of patrolling the Pacific for enemy submarines, and also provided protection for the Panama Canal. After the war, the facilities were given to the government of Ecuador. Today, the island continues as an official Ecuadorian military base. The foundations and other remains of the US base can still be seen as one crosses the island. In 1946, a penal colony was established in Isabela Island, but it was suspended in 1959.

The Galpagos became a national park in 1959,[26] and tourism started in the 1960s, imposing several restrictions upon the human population already living on the island. However, opportunities in the tourism, fishing, and farming industries attracted a mass of poor fishermen and farmers from mainland Ecuador. In the 1990s and 2000s, violent confrontations between parts of the local population and the Galpagos National Park Service occurred, including capturing and killing giant tortoises and holding staff of the Galpagos National Park Service hostage to obtain higher annual sea cucumber quotas.[27]

The islands are administered by a provincial government. It was made a province by presidential decree by President Guillermo Rodrguez Lara on 18 February 1973. The province is divided into cantons, each covering certain islands. The capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.

The largest ethnic group is composed of Ecuadorian Mestizos, the mixed descendants of Spanish colonists and indigenous Native Americans, who arrived mainly in the last century from the continental part of Ecuador. There is also a large number of whites, mostly of Spanish descent. Some descendants of the early European and American colonists on the islands also still remain on the islands.

In 1959, approximately 1,000 to 2,000 people called the islands their home. In 1972 a census in the archipelago recorded a population of 3,488. By the 1980s, this number had risen to more than 15,000 people, and in 2010 there were 25,124 people in the Galpagos.

Five of the islands are inhabited: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz.

Options for flying into the Galpagos are limited to two islands: San Cristobal (San Cristbal Airport) and Baltra (Seymour Airport). Private aircraft must use Baltra as it is the airport equipped with overnight plane accommodations. Seymour Airport on Baltra was recently renovated (20122013) to accommodate larger planes.

Until 1969 the only way to visit was on a private or chartered vessel. There was no regular air service until Forrest Nelson's Hotel Galpagos began the first organized tours in April 1969. Soon other travel companies brought in tour ships and yachts, and local fishermen began converting their wooden boats for rudimentary cruising with guests. These vessels were the main source of overnight accommodations in the Galpagos. Today there are about 85 yachts and ships equipped for overnight guests. In 2006 the Baltra military governed island, was opened up to limited overnight camping. Baltra also requires permits by the military government for overnight stays on the beach. Other inhabited islands also allow camping on the beaches designated as "recreational" use to the locals. All of these camping permits are limited to number of people and nights, with most nights not to exceed three.

Land based hotels are opening on the inhabited islands of San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela. By 2012, more than half the visitors to Galpagos made their tours using day boats and these small hotels. Restaurants, easy access and economy make this an attractive travel option. The cruise tours are still the best way to see all the complex environment and wildlife of the islands.

There are only 116 visitor sites in the Galpagos: 54 land sites and 62 scuba-diving or snorkeling sites. Small groups are allowed to visit in 2- to 4-hour shifts only, to limit impact on the area. All groups are accompanied by licensed guides.

Though the first protective legislation for the Galpagos was enacted in 1930 and supplemented in 1936, it was not until the late 1950s that positive action was taken to control what was happening to the native flora and fauna. In 1955, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature organized a fact-finding mission to the Galpagos. Two years later, in 1957, UNESCO, in cooperation with the government of Ecuador, sent another expedition to study the conservation situation and choose a site for a research station.

In 1959, the centenary year of Charles Darwin's publication of The Origin of Species, the Ecuadorian government declared 97.5% of the archipelago's land area a national park, excepting areas already colonised. The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) was founded the same year. The core responsibility of CDF, an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) constituted in Belgium, is to conduct research and provide the research findings to the government for effective management of Galpagos. CDF's research efforts began with the establishment of the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in 1964. During the early years, conservation programs, such as eradication of introduced species and protection of native species, were carried out by research station personnel. Now much of that work is accomplished by the Galpagos National Park Service using the research findings and methodologies developed by CDF.

In 1986, the 70,000 square kilometers (27,000 sq mi.) of ocean surrounding the islands was declared a marine reserve, second in size only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. In 1990, the archipelago became a whale sanctuary. UNESCO recognised the islands in 1978 as a World Heritage Site[28] and in 1985, as a biosphere reserve. This was later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve. In July 2010, the World Heritage Committee agreed to remove the Galpagos Islands from its list of precious sites endangered by environmental threats or overuse.[29]

Noteworthy species include:

Introduced plants and animals, such as feral goats, cats, and cattle, brought accidentally or willingly to the islands by humans, represent the main threat to Galpagos. Quick to reproduce and with no natural predators, these alien species decimated the habitats of native species. The native animals, lacking natural predators on the islands, are defenseless to introduced predators.

There are over 700 introduced plant species today. There are only 500 native and endemic species. This difference is creating a major problem for the islands and the natural species that inhabit them. These plants have invaded large areas and eliminated endemic species in the humid zones of San Cristobal, Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz. Some of the most harmful introduced plants are the guayaba or guava (Psidium guajava), avocado (Persea americana), cascarilla (Cinchona pubescens), balsa (Ochroma pyramidale), hill raspberry (Rubus niveus), various citrus (orange, grapefruit, lemon), floripondio, higuerilla (Ricinus communis) trees and the elephant grass, Pennisetum purpureum.

Many species were introduced to the Galpagos by pirates. Thor Heyerdahl quoted documents that mention the Viceroy of Peru, knowing that British pirates ate the goats that they themselves had released in the islands, ordered dogs to be freed there to eliminate the goats.[10] Also, when colonization of Floreana by Jos de Villamil failed, he ordered the goats, donkeys, cattle and other animals from the farms in Floreana be transferred to other islands for the purpose of later colonization.

Non-native goats, pigs, dogs, rats, cats, mice, sheep, horses, donkeys, cows, poultry, ants, cockroaches, and some parasites inhabit the islands today. Dogs and cats attack the tame birds and destroy the nests of birds, land tortoises, and marine turtles. They sometimes kill small Galpagos tortoises and iguanas.[30] Pigs are even more harmful, covering larger areas and destroying the nests of tortoises, turtles and iguanas, as well as eating the animals' native food. Pigs also knock down vegetation in their search for roots and insects. This problem abounds in Cerro Azul volcano and Isabela, and in Santiago, pigs may be the cause of the disappearance of the land iguanas that were so abundant when Darwin visited. The black rat (Rattus rattus) attacks small Galpagos tortoises when they leave the nest, so in Pinzn they stopped the reproduction for a period of more than 50years; only adults were found on that island.[31] Also, where the black rat is found, the endemic rat has disappeared. Cattle and donkeys eat all the available vegetation and compete with native species for the scarce water. In 1959, fishermen introduced one male and two female goats to Pinta island; by 1973, the National Park service estimated the population of goats to be over 30,000 individuals. Goats were also introduced to Marchena in 1967 and to Rabida in 1971. A goat eradication program, however, cleared the goats from Pinta and Santiago and most of the goat population from Isabela.[32] In fact, by 2006 all feral pigs, donkeys and non-sterile goats had been eliminated from Santiago and Isabela, the largest islands with the worst problems due to non-native mammals.[33][34]

The fast-growing poultry industry on the inhabited islands has been cause for concern from local conservationists, who fear domestic birds could introduce disease into the endemic wild bird populations.

The Galpagos marine sanctuary is under threat from a host of illegal fishing activities, in addition to other problems of development.[35] The most pressing threat to the Marine Reserve comes from local, mainland and foreign fishing targeting marine life illegally within the Reserve, such as sharks (hammerheads and other species) for their fins,[35] and the harvest of sea cucumbers out of season. Development threatens both land and sea species. The growth of both the tourism industry and local populations fuelled by high birth rates and illegal immigration threaten the wildlife of the Archipelago. The grounding of the oil tanker Jessica in 2001 and the subsequent oil spill brought this threat to world attention.

In 2007, UNESCO put the Galpagos Islands on their List of World Heritage in Danger because of threats posed by invasive species, unbridled tourism and overfishing.[36] On 29 July 2010, the World Heritage Committee decided to remove the Galpagos Islands from the list because the Committee found significant progress had been made by Ecuador in addressing these problems.[37]

On 28 January 2008, Galpagos National Park official Victor Carrion announced 53 sea lions (13 pups, 25 youngsters, 9 males and 6 females) were killed at the Galpagos Islands nature reserve on Pinta, with their heads caved in. In 2001, poachers killed 35 male sea lions.[38]

The Galpagos Islands were short-listed as a candidate to be one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New7Wonders of Nature Foundation. As of February 2009, the archipelago was ranked first in Group B, the category for islands.[39]

The islands' biodiversity is under threat from several sources. The human population is growing at an unsustainable rate of 8% per year (1995). Introduced species have caused damage, and in 1996 a US$5 million, five-year eradication plan commenced in an attempt to rid the islands of introduced species such as goats, rats, deer, and donkeys. Except for the rats, the project was essentially completed in 2006.[33][34] Rats have only been eliminated from the smaller Galapagos Islands of Rbida and Pinzn.[40]

El Nio has adversely affected the marine ecosystem. In January 2001, an oil slick from a stranded tanker threatened the islands, but winds and shifting ocean currents helped disperse the oil before much damage was done. The 199798 El Nio adversely affected wildlife in the waters surrounding the islands, as the waters were 5C (9F) warmer than normal. Corals and barnacles suffered, hammerhead sharks were driven away, and most of the island's seabirds failed to breed in 199798. The mortality rate of marine iguanas rose as the green algae they feed on was replaced by inedible red algae. During the 198283 El Nio, 70% of the marine iguanas starved to death because of this.[41]

Read more from the original source:

Galpagos Islands - Wikipedia

501

I find myself returning to Island's time and time again. I've never had bad service and all the waiters are super kind. As for the good, be adventurous. I enjoy the Kilauea burger with a side of sweet potato fries. I have noticed that they have shrunk down their portion sizes when it comes to fries. Overall, not a bad place if you're looking for a burger fix.

Someone gave me a gift card to Islands Restaurant so I was happy to try it. It's in a tight strip mall and looks like a Denny's kind of place. They have a bar and lots of booths or 4-top tables. It's mostly burgers, salads, fries, etc. I got a veggie patter Maui burger and substituted the fries for steamed broccoli & carrots. The veggie patty is mushy and tastless. I didn't taste much of the guacamole but it was there, tomato not flavor, raw onions took it out. Steamed broccoli was edible, carrots I didn't touch. B. got quesadilla and added chicken which was so-so. At least it was edible, chicken was decent, not dry. small tortilla soup B. wanted was meh. Not much flavor, but he liked it. Extra chips on the side. Huge water in tall glasses was fine. 3 things and was over $30? We won't be back ever.

I was surprised to find this chain is still around. Sadly, it has changed a bit from the 90's - And they've tried to update the menu with almost too many choices. Minus a couple stars for prices, and the silly add-ons. It shouldn't be more for sweet potato fries - at least give us a slightly larger portion! I might go back - they still do have a decent variety of burgers, even if they're smaller and less tasty than they used to be.

Islands is not my favorite Their burgers are overpriced and the unlimited fries are greasy and make you feel sick. Would prefer Red Robin any day.

This is an awesome Islands location! Anyone who knows me or has followed my reviews knows that I'm a frequent customer of the Islands chain of restaurants as I adore their delicious and quality-made burgers, drinks, nachos, and fries. This location is no exception! The layout of the restaurant is large and welcoming, and has the typical beach-side decor of all their locations. Their employees are so friendly and I recently found out that one of their wait staff used to work at a location I used to visit in West Los Angeles! What's even more awesome about this location is that for some reason, their burgers are somehow juicier and taste even better than the ones I've had at other locations. Everything just tastes great and the meats, vegetables, and sauces really mesh together for delicious goodness. On my last visit here I had the Hula burger (mushroom swiss), the root beer float, and nachos. Everything was amazing and even when the waitstaff forgot to bring out our salsa for our nachos, they happily and quickly remedied the issue. Their new electronic system consisting of tablets for waitstaff means that food comes to your table quicker than ever, and an even more satisfactory experience. At the end of the day, if you love burgers and classic American food with great service, you can't ever go wrong with Islands.

I thought Islands was solely a San Diego / SoCal thing, so I was happy to stumble upon this Islands location while searching for food on the way back from Big Basin. Islands was a special treat for me when I was in college in SD. The burgers were tasty but expensive so I only went once in a blue moon. Fast forward to this past weekend... My friend and I were making the drive back to the Peninsula from Big Basin and we wanted some grub. It was about 2PM when we got into Islands and there were only a couple of tables. We sat at the bar (open seating) and the bartender promptly asked if we wanted to get started with some drinks. I got a Sculpin and my friend a Blue Moon. For my meal I ordered the Nalu Nalu with a veggie patty and my friend ordered the Maui, also with a veggie patty. Oftentimes, I don't feel like eating meat and have been trying to cut back anyway. Islands' veggie patty option was pretty good! The patty actually stayed together, unlike many other restaurants with poorly put together veggie patties. I usually get the Hawaiian burger but wanted to try something new. I think the Nalu Nalu may be my new favorite! Slightly spicy at the end but loved the onions and peppers! My burgers always look smaller than the pictures though 🙁 . Never would have expected a great veggie patty from Islands - good to know! Loved the bits of corn built into it. Fries were good as always - I didn't get a refill as I finished my burger first and was already full by the time I got to my fries. My burger + beer came out to about $20. Not toooo bad but I obviously would love and prefer a cheap AND good burger. A chain restaurant, but a decent one at that.

Another burger place I love to go to and my favorites are Malibu and the Bluenami, you gotta try it! Customer service is usual and always attentive and it can get a little busy and delay when they bring your food. Other than that its great!

Great food! Classic American style restaurant, I ordered the mavericks burger cooked medium.... but came cooked well. Other then that there was great flavors within!

Meh... Our waiter(s) were horrible and forgot stuff like ranch, messed up drink orders.. My sliders were way over done but I was starving so I just drowned them in ketchup and ranch... But-- the cheese fries were yummy! Not my favorite location of islands (I usually go to the one in Monterey)

I would give 2.5 stars for being just "average". I came here once a while back but was unimpressed with the experience. We started off the visit by being ignored by the hostess, who started asking people standing BEHIND us in line for names to put on the waitlist (like what?), and when I mentioned this to the hostess, she didn't seem very apologetic about it either. After we were seated, I ordered the Maui burger, which turned out to be a bit disappointing. I didn't expect the onions to be so raw, which took away from the taste of the overall burger. The swiss cheese was nice, but there could have a been a bit more guacamole (you couldn't even see it without lifting up the bun of the burger) given the price of the burger. However, it was nice that I could order a wheat bun instead of a white bun for no extra charge, and that there were endless fries, but when I asked for more fries midway through my meal, I didn't get a refill until I was signing the check and about to leave... which kind of defeats the purpose of endless fries. Also, the fries weren't too spectacular either, so maybe the sweet potato fries for an extra $1.49 would be a better side (but I doubt these are endless). Overall, it's a decent restaurant as they seem to have quite a selection of food beyond burgers, as well as a selection of beers/drinks, but the prices are a bit steep and I wasn't impressed with the service (or lack thereof). Most likely, I would only return here with friends, as they have a pretty big storefront and can probably handle group meals decently. Just be prepared to wait as it was really busy during regular meal hours.

This is a good place to get a good burger in a short period of time. They offer a variety of signature combinations that are sure to please almost everyone. The staff is friendly and very attentive to your needs. Note that they won't go any lower than medium in regards to the temperature of the meat. I guess that's okay since we aren't talking about a 1/2lb gourmet patty!

I've been to Islands several times in the past, but on my latest trip I was quite disappointed. Upon entering the restaurant, the host offered us the option to sit in the bar area so we could take advantage of their happy hour deals. This was really nice, as we had not known happy hour was going on, and we ended up sitting in the bar area. Overall, no complaints about the service here. We ended up ordering a spinach and artichoke dip to start us off. It was just okay, but I've definitely had better. The dip was definitely heavy on the spinach, while I tend to like my dip a little smoother and cheesier. That really comes down to preference. I do think the portions were great, since we finished off all the dip with all the chips we were given. It also came with a small side of salsa, giving you options. I would normally order the Hawaiian burger, but I wanted to try something a little different. I ended up ordering the Yaki tacos, which are basically the chicken/taco version of the Hawaiian burger (so different, I know). I ended up being really disappointed though. The tacos were pretty much drowning in the teriyaki sauce, making it so that I couldn't taste any other flavors, and it also got a little sickening halfway through. My brother did get a burger, but we noticed the fact that the fries are no longer bottomless. Islands is pretty pricey already, but it used to be justified by the fact that I could eat as many fries as I wanted. Now it just doesn't really feel worth it, and I was so disappointed with my food.

I love Islands and go here probably once a month. The service is always great, the burgers are delicious (especially the Hawaiian burger - probably the best Hawaiian burger I've had), and the fries and sweet potato fries are amazing! One recommendation - they should have the seasonal Heat Wave burger year round - my boyfriend LOVED this burger and they stopped serving it after the summer! We'd come more often if that was still around 🙂

This place is awsome! My first time there, Never had heard of it , It's like a sport bar. Loved it , best hamburgers I have ever had. Place clean. People are very nice. Definitely recommend this resturant to any one , that wants a good big hamburger. The place is great

Food, service, and interior were all "Meh," so when I saw Yelp defined a two-star rating as a "Meh," I was all like "well, I don't really have strong feelings about this, but that seems like a sensible rating." My general rule of thumb is that American food places in Cupertino are overrated because there aren't any affordable options that blow the others out of the water. Personally, I'd rather eat here than Lazy Dog (because the food here is serviceable) or The Counter (because this place's aesthetic doesn't make me feel like I live in Stanley Kubrick's image of "the future"), but it's kind of just another chain American restaurant in a town full of them.

Food was mediocre at best but the service was terrible. Waited way too long for refills and to get my check waited 25 minutes after we ate for someone to come by and we had to ask for our check

This place can be very hit or miss. At times when I have gone, the food and service are amazing. But this has no bearing unless it is consistent. Yesterday I went with my family and the server spilled the beer, I had ordered, on my father. It was not a big deal as it was clearly an accident. But the problem was clear after we has gotten the check. Although the server and hostess apologized profusely, they did not compensate my father for his damaged clothing. Normal protocol would dictate that the beer at least would be free, but that was not the case. In terms of the food I ordered the Kilauea burger. Normally this is my favorite burger but it was riddled with too much pepper this time. As I said it is a very hit or miss type of joint. Maybe they'll be better next time, but really it's a coin toss.

Service was excellent the waiter was on point food was really really good tasty fresh vegetables the ambience was perfect I love the island atmosphere along with the surfing images on the TVs thank you.

Over the past couple of months we've become regulars at this restaurant out of convenience and proximity. We visited last night and sat at the bar. I don't expect outstanding service from this place, but last night was just flat out unacceptable and I think tipping them was a mistake. First, I asked for a coke and if you knew "other customers have been telling us it's flat" at the time of, you, as the server should have notified me, instead of trying to sell another soft-drink. The server should not have sighed heavily when I nicely asked for a water instead. Sorry, I'm not giving you $2.65 (or whatever it is), but it wouldn't have been your money in the end anyways. I'm sorry your soda machine isn't working, you should ask someone to fix it. If you don't want to be working on a Saturday night and you'd rather be at the mall, take that up with your manager. Don't take it out on us and give us attitude. Second, I flagged down one of the gals in pink and made eye-contact with her to ask for more napkins and she just walked away. Even if it's not your table, you still work there. There's no need to be mean about this. You don't want to be here on a Saturday night either? Go find a new job that's more flexible about when you can/can't work. Third, the food was luke-warm. I'm not asking for a teppanyaki grill show, but the food should at least be hot. The cheese on the nachos already congealed to this plastic-like consistency and the sliders weren't hot either. Get the food out on time, or don't give it to us at all. Yuck. Fourth, when we ask for the check, don't say you'll grab it ASAP then go clean the counter and pour some beer for another customer and watch the baseball game then grab food for other patrons and then print out the check. You see us, We see you. I'm assuming that the guy in the Hawaiian shirt last night was the owner/franchisee of this restaurant. I was a hostess for 7 years, I managed a restaurant for 3 years, and I would never have let that behavior slide. My college degree is in hospitality with a concentration in food and beverage, yours may not be, but there's no need for you to bend over the counter and chat up your pseudo-bartender about the foam in the float/milkshake machine. For the number of people in the restaurant, you were WAY overstaffed and still couldn't provide good service. Everyone is all over the place not doing their job. Pay attention to the food and the service your people are providing and take some pride in the product you are presenting. Clearly, everyone needs to pay attention because no one is "getting it".

It's a good place, warm and friendly. Burgers are good, American style of a restaurant... We were there at the end of the day, the waitress was very tired but she was still charming and friendly and made a good time for us...

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Islands Restaurant - 308 Photos & 501 Reviews - Burgers ...

Before the Europeans made their claim to the area, the local Native Americans referred to the area as Manamooskeagin, meaning "great green place of shaking grass." Two streams in the area were named for the large beaver population: Schumacastacut or "upper beaver brook" and Schumacastuscacant or "lower beaver brook."[3]

Abington was first settled by European settlers in 1668. The lands included the current towns of Bridgewater, Rockland, Whitman, and parts of Hanover. The town was officially incorporated in 1712,[1] having been named six years earlier by Governor Joseph Dudley as a tribute to Anne Venables-Bertie, Countess of Abingdon, wife of the second Earl of Abingdon, who helped him secure the governorship of the colony from Queen Anne. The Earl of Abingdon is named from Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire (then Berkshire), UK. Indeed the original petition from Governer Dudley ordered that "the Town be named Abingdon". A marginal note on the document gave the spelling as "Abington" as it has been known ever since.[3]

In 1769, an iron foundry was established within the town. In 1815, Jesse Reed invented a machine that mass-produced tacks, which in turn led to the shoe industry becoming established in the town.[1] During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the manufacture of boots and shoes was its primary industry, with nearly half of the footwear provided for the Union Army during the Civil War being provided by Abington factories.[1] From 1846 to 1865, Abington was a center of the abolitionist movement.[1] In 1874 and 1875, the towns of Rockland and Whitman, respectively, separated and incorporated as towns.

In 1893, the town was the site of a riot between town constables and workers from the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, over the town's rights to build a streetcar line that crossed the railroad's tracks. The town eventually built the line, and as a "peace offering", the railroad built the North Abington Depot building, which was built in the style of H. H. Richardson.[4]

Abington has evolved into a predominantly residential community with some light manufacturing including printing and machine-tool.[1]

Abington is located at 42710N 705652W / 42.11944N 70.94778W / 42.11944; -70.94778 (42.119534, -70.947876).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.6km2), of which 9.7 square miles (25.0km2) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.6km2), or 2.41%, is water.[6]

Abington ranks 308th of 351 communities in the Commonwealth, and is the fourth-smallest town (behind Hull, Whitman and Rockland) in Plymouth County. Abington is bordered by Holbrook to the northwest, Weymouth to the northeast, Rockland to the east, Whitman to the south, and Brockton to the west. Abington is considered to be an inland town of the South Shore, and is located approximately 20 miles (32km) south of Boston.

Abington has two major waterways; the Shumatuscacant River to the west provides the town's border with Brockton, and Beaver Brook runs through the eastern part of town; it was the source of much of the water power used by the shoe factories. In the northwestern corner of town lies Ames Nowell State Park, a large forested area around Cleveland Pond. Island Grove Pond was created in the 1700s, when a dam was built on the Shumatuscacant River. Much of the town's population is centered on the eastern side of town, closer to the former town geographic center. The northeast corner of town is also the site of portions of the runways of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station, which was closed in 1997 as a part of the fourth round of BRAC base closures.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Kppen climate classification system, Abington has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[7]

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,985 people, 6,080 households, and 4,111 families residing in the town with 6,377 total housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 92.5% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 6,080 households out of which 33.6% had individuals under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 25.1% of all households consisted of someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town the age distribution of the population shows 25.2% under the age of 19, 5.6% from 20 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. Males made up 48.9% of the population, while females made up 51.1%.[18]

The median income for a household in the town, based on a 20062010 projection, was $74,589.[19] In 2000, the median income for a family was $68,826. Males had a median income of $44,151 versus $30,923 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,380. About 2.1% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Statistically speaking, Abington is the 125th largest community by population in the Commonwealth, and ranks 71st by population density. Its population is lower than the population average but above the median; the population density is above the average.

On the national level, Abington is a part of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, and is represented by Stephen Lynch. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren. The junior (Class I) senator, elected in 2013, is Edward Markey.

On the state level, Abington is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Seventh Plymouth district, which includes the towns of East Bridgewater and Whitman. The Seventh Plymouth district is represented by Geoff Diehl. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate by John Keenan, as a part of the Norfolk and Plymouth District, which includes Holbrook, Quincy, Rockland and part of Braintree.[20] The town is patrolled by the First (Norwell) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.[21]

Abington is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a town manager and a board of selectmen. The town operates its own police and fire department, with firehouses located in the north and south of town along Route 18. There are two post offices in town, on Route 123 east of Route 18 and on Route 58 north of Route Route 139. The Abington Public Library, a member of the Old Colony Library Network, is located adjacent to the town hall, both of which opened in 1997 across from the high school. The town operates a park, Island Grove Park, located in the southeast of town. Current Board of Selectmen (April 2016): Maureen Jansen (Chairman); Kenneth Coyle (Vice-Chairman); R. Andrew Burbine; Bob Manning; Alex Bezanson; [22]

There are two main north-south routes through town, Route 18 and Route 58, the latter terminating at the former just a 0.5 miles (800m) north of the town line. Route 123 and Route 139 run east to west through the town, with Route 139 being the more northern route. There is no freeway access to town; the town is located between Route 24 and Route 3.

The former Old Colony Railroad line runs through the eastern part of town, and is currently used as a part of the Plymouth-Kingston route of the MBTA's commuter rail line. There is a stop in Abington, just southwest of the intersection of Routes 123 and 58. A spur off the line formerly went into the town of Rockland; that spur is now abandoned. There is no air service in the town; the nearest national and international air service can be found at Logan International Airport in Boston.

On June 10, 2012, Abington celebrated the 300th anniversary of its incorporation.[23]

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Abington, Massachusetts - Wikipedia

For those of you interested in finding your Coastal North Carolina best places to live on the ocean, the barrier islands are some of the most beautiful places youll ever experience.

Unlike their cousins to the south, Coastal North Carolina barrier islands, commonly referred to as the Outer Banks, are long, thin stretches of land just off the coast. For the past few weeks we have been talking about the best small island living along the coast of South Carolina.

Weve looked at the popular best small islands of:

Weve also looked at other CoastalSouth Carolina best places to live small cities and towns:

This week were heading north up the Carolina eastern coastline. To look at the best small islands of Coastal North Carolina to live.

One author referredto the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a thin arm of sand nudging its way into the Atlantic.

Think remote white sandy beaches where small towns and villages are few and far between.

Imagine beaches coexisting with wildlife preserves and all manner of natural beauty.

Only then can you have an idea of why these small islands off Coastal North Carolina are so popular.

Life on the best small island of Coastal North Carolina is laid back. And this attracts people looking to get away from the daily grind. Those wanting to slow down and reconnect with themselves and their surroundings.

Needless to say the Coastal North Carolina Outer Banks are a big tourist attraction. And these small islands are inundated with visitors for part of the year.

Local residents typically find work in the tourism industry, real estate, fishing, education and government agencies like the National Park Service.

All you beach lovers .Wow the Coastal North Carolina beaches are amazing!!!

Its not uncommon for people to have a variety of jobs to tide them over until the tourists come back.

Although there are restaurants and shops, residents often have to go to the mainland for various services and amenities.

And more than the tourism, perhaps one of the biggest downsides to living in Coastal North Carolina is you have to evacuate the islands in the event of a really strong storm.

Nevertheless, the Coastal North Carolina Outer Banks remain popular.

And the people that have settled down here wouldnt live anywhere else.

So what do the best small islands of Coastal North Carolina have to offer you?

Bald Head Island NC sits south of another Coastal North Carolina best place to live. Wilmington NC just a few miles off coast near the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Bald Head Island NC is a private resort community of a little less than 165 people and is only accessible via ferry.

Mostly a wildlife reserve. The island has golf courses, historic lighthouses, creeks and maritime forests.

Oh and forget about cars because the only thing with four wheels you can travel in are golf carts.

Housing is more expensive with a median home sales price of around $850,344.

Youll find a fully stocked grocery store as well as police and fire departments. But Bald Head Island NC residents must go to the mainland for most medical services.

Ocracoke Island NC, population almost 948, is one of the more remote barrier islands on Coastal North Carolina. Accessible only by a 45 minute ferry ride or plane.

Once mostly dominated by fishing, the village of Okracoke NC is mostly all about tourism.

And is a prime destination for summer vacationers because of its award winning beaches.

Tourism has brought development including hotels and restaurants but services like hospitals you can expect to go to the mainland.

The median home value is around $364,673.

You can get to another popular island location, Hatteras Island NC by car, boat or plane.

People generally think of historic lighthouses, amazing beaches and tourism when they think of Hatteras.

Surprisingly, it is home to roughly 4000 people spread out among several quaint village communities like Rodanth, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.

The median home value for Hatteras Island North Carolina is about $400,000.

Stay tuned next week as we explore more about North Carolina Coastal living.

Have a good one and well see you again next week!

Discover More North Carolina and South Carolina Best Places To Live

Robert Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations. Robert researches the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable.

Robert Does Not Sell Real Estate! 2005-2014 Places of Value Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.

Join Us In The North Carolina And South Carolina Best Places To Live Conversation

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Best Small Islands of Coastal North Carolina To Live

Want to get away to the islands? Maryland is home to hundreds of islands just waiting to be explored! Some are uninhabited or strictly nature preserves, while others are bustling with shops, restaurants and museums. Here some local favorites to get you started.

This charming island town was named one of Americas Happiest Seaside Towns by Coastal Living, and its no wonder. Waterfront restaurants and shops dot Solomons Island Road, while the Calvert Marine Museum has exhibits on ancient fossils and a lighthouse you can climb inside. More info....

This tiny island in southern St. Marys County is the site of the first battle on Maryland soil during the Revolutionary War, and was later occupied by the British in the War of 1812. Today, its a popular bird watching and kayaking spot. More info...

The 45-minute ferry ride to this island from the mainland is truly worth it for foodies: Smith Island is renowned for its crab cakes as well as Marylands official state dessert, the eight-layer Smith Island Cake.

Life moves slowly on this Eastern Shore Island, although things ramp up each June for the legendary Seafood Festival held by the Tilghman Volunteer Fire Co. More info...

More about Tilghman Island Seafood Fest 2016

Type: Events

Location: 5979 Tilghman Island Rd. Tilghman, MD 21671 410-886-2677

Located just 45 miles south of Washington, D.C., in the Potomac River in Charles County, Cobb Island is a vacation home paradise. Nature abounds here where swans, ospreys, herons and crabs outnumber residents. The small island boasts great seafood, including the famed crabs at Capt. John's Crabhouse. More info...

More about Captain John's Crab House

Type: Seafood

Location: 16215 Cobb Island Road Newburg, MD 20664 301-259-2315

This quiet island on the Tangier Sound in Somerset County provides a wonderful opportunity to slow down. There are just a few hundred residents here, and the island is famed for bird watching, sailing, canoeing and the annual Labor Day Skipjack Race.

More about Deal Island Skipjack Races & Island Fest

Type: Events

Location: Deal Island Harbor Deal Island, MD 21821 410-784-2785

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Touring the Islands of Maryland | Visit Maryland

26 NYC islands you might not even know existed Flickr/ Brian Clift

Whether you still get turned around in the West Village or are one of those people who "doesn't do Brooklyn", there are a lot of places in NYC you still haven't had a chance to check out. Chief among them: the roughly two-dozen other islands that populate the five boroughs, including one you can kayak to, and another that's about to be home to "Hammock Grove", a 10-acre section of 1500 trees strewn with hammocks. Because we were super bored beating Battletoads for the 1000th time, we put together a guide to every single one worth knowing about.

1. The Blauzes Their name means 'Little Blue Ones' in Belgian-French, which is apparently a language, and they're part of a reef, which is apparently a thing New York has.

2. Chimney Sweeps Islands There used to be a bar on the island that served local chimney sweeps? boaters, until the government bought the island, closed the bar, ruined everything, and turned it into part of Pelham Bay Park.

3. City Island This is actually as close as you'll probably get to a seaside getaway in the city. It's the only inhabited island in the borough, and is home to a ton of fun seafood places. We like Sammy's Shrimp Box, Lobster Box, and Crab Shanty in particular.

4. Hart Island Sadly not named after Bret "The Hitman", there is some controversy as to whether it was named for its shape, or the English word for Stag -- it's variously been home to POW camps, a reformatory, a missile base, and a burial field for the Department of Corrections. Fun times!

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5. High Island It was once much, much more-terrifyingly named Shark Island.

6. Rat Island Covered in rocks, mussel shells, and bird sh*t, this adorably named land mass is actually private property owned by a dude who snatched it up and is now hosting BBQs all over it.

7. Twin Island Don't be fooled: this isn't even actually an island anymore (nice try Twin!), thanks to the landfill connecting it to Orchard Beach and Rodman's Neck.

8. North Brother Island This is the island where they kept typhoid fever Patient Zero, Typhoid Mary. Maybe don't go here.

9. South Brother Island Jacob Ruppert -- the former Yankees owner who bought Babe Ruth and was the President of the United States Brewer's Association -- had a summer home here for a while, making it pretty much the boss-est island of the early 20th century.

10. Rikers Island It was settled by Abraham Rycker, used as a training field for Union soldiers, and you probably never want to go here.

11. Canarsie Pol or Small Marshland Island It's an uninhabited island that you can kayak to (other boats probably work too, but you can definitely launch kayaks from nearby Canarsie Pier). It used to be smaller, but when they dredged to make way for ships, they dropped the dirt here.

12. Ruffle Bar They have a bunch of fixin's laid out, so you can top them with queso, ranch ohhhhh, wait, you meant Ruffle Bar ISLAND. Yeah, this used to be a booming area for the clam and ester industries before it became too polluted.

13. Mau Mau Island In 2011, an art collective (Flux Factory) organized a DIY boat party, complete with a pop-up bar and "boat jousting", and called it the Battle for Mau Mau Island. See all the cool s**t you're missing by not being into art!?

14 & 15. Ellis Island and Liberty Island They're kind of actually in New Jersey.

16. Governors Island You know it's home to concerts, parties, and rehabilitated castles, but did you also know that it's the future home of "Hammock Grove", a 10-acre section of 1500 trees strewn with hammocks?

17. Mill Rock This was part of the formation that made up Hell Gate, until the US Army Corps of Engineers blew up the the adjoining Flood Rock with what was said to be the largest planned-explosion in the US before testing started on the Atomic Bomb.

18. Randalls/ Wards Islands Randalls and Wards are connected by landfill, and loaded with activities from concerts like Governors Ball and Electric Zoo, to an urban farm, to a golf center with batting cages & a beer garden. There's also a rich history involving the Revolutionary War that we've chosen not to explain because, beer garden.

19. Roosevelt Island Once called Hog Island, Blackwell Island, and Welfare Island, Roosevelt Island is MAX 800ft-wide, and you 1) probably looked at an apartment here once, and 2) didn't get the apartment but still really want to take the tram someday. Also: Grandpa from The Munsters used to live here.

20. U Thant or Belmont Island This is the smallest island in Manhattan -- it was created by the construction of tunnels beneath it that now operate the 7 train, and its only inhabitants are a colony of Double-crested Cormorants and the "Oneness Arch", which holds personal items of the namesake former United Nations Secretary-General.

21. Broad Channel It's actually called Rules Bar Hassock, which is a lot less catchy than Broad Channel. It's the only populated island in Jamaica Bay and if you're wondering why, it's probably because of their bagel place The Bay Gull Store, which does "famous cheese bagels" with cheese melted into the top half.

22 & 23. Hoffman Island and Swinburne Island These guys were once used to anchor anti-submarine nets during WWII, so now you know anti-submarine nets are a thing.

24 & 25. Isle of Meadows and Prall's Island Sadly, you can't go to either of these unless you live in the nesting habitats/are a bird.

26. Shooters Island The boundary between NJ and NY runs through this island, which is under the sole purview of Shooter McGavin was where one of the first news movies of all-time was shot in 1902, under the direction of Thomas Edison (it featured the launching of a yacht for Wilhelm II). It's also now another bird sanctuary.

View NYC islands you might not even know existed in a larger map

Published on 11/14/2013

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26 NYC islands you might not even know existed - Thrillist ...

Welcome to Put-in-Bay 2016 and your complete Put in Bay Ohio information source for hotels, lodging, ferryboats, golf carts, camping, boating and home rentals, all located at Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island, Ohio. We are your one-stop shop for Put-in-Bay Reservations and finding out what is on this year's Calendar of Events.

There is no doubt that Put-in-Bay Ohio is one of the most unique places you will ever visit. Our tiny two by four mile island is dotted with historic homes, the nation's third tallest monument, quaint restaurants and local pubs. Beautiful water surrounds Put in Bay where you will find the best walleye and perch fishing in the United States.

May 09, 2016 - Put-in-Bay, OH - The NFL Draft Day is now behind us and the Cleveland Browns are looking forward to a great rebuilding season with some top-notch draft picks... (click for details)

May 16, 2016 - Put-in-Bay, OH - It's that time of year! Entries are now open for the 2016 "Best of the Bay" Awards. Each year, we let you, the island visitor, choose your favorite lodgins, foods, and attractions. (click for entry)

Over 2 million people annually discover the magic of the Bass Islands of Lake Erie. Put-in-Bay Ohio on South Bass Island is the crown jewel of the Lake Erie islands of Ohio. This website will provide you with all the information you need to plan that special Put in Bay getaway with your family or friends.

Putinbay.com now offers our summer vacation visitors the convenience of a mobile-enhanced website. We are the first and only Put-in-Bay mobile web presence! We have entertainment schedules, a Put-in-bay calendar of events, Jet Express ferry schedules, bars and dining info, shopping lists, and Put in Bay attractions locations. All of which is conveniently located here on our new PutInBay.com Mobile Website. Download the Official 2016 Put in Bay Island Visitor Guide & Vacation Planner before you visit!

Beginning in April of each year, visitors flock to Put-in-Bay Ohio for an island retreat. Shopping, boating, perch fishing, walleye fishing, great restaurants (and food reviews), The Roundhouse Bar, and a vibrant nightlife offer something for everyone. Family vacations can be a great learning experience for the kids starting with the ferry to Put in Bay and the many historical events that have taken place on the island.

While exploring Putinbay.com, you will learn about the many family activities Put-in-Bay has to offer as well as all the services you may need for your Lake Erie island getaway. We have all the information you need for a great family visit to Put in Bay.

Putinbay, Nicknamed the "Key West of the North" offers an exciting nightlife with live musical entertainment to satisfy all generations. Strolling Barbershop singers, bagpipers, steel drums and Ohio's best entertainers (such as Pat Dailey and Mike "Mad Dog" Adams) are frequently seen on Put-in-Bay island.

Relax, you're on island time, explore putinbay.com and be sure to register for our free Put-in-Bay weekend giveaway and monthly newsletter via e-mail where we keep you informed of Put-in-Bay island events.

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Put in Bay, Put in Bay Hotel, Put in Bay Lodging, Put-in-Bay Ohio

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The Golden Isles consist of many unique locations each offering a unique experience. Discover them at your leisure. Come Stay!

Nestled on the Georgia coast, midway between Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL, lies the mainland city of Brunswick and its four beautiful barrier islands: St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Pristine stretches of marshland, punctuated by small islands known as hammocks, define the breathtaking landscape and create the appearance of a continuous stretch of land reaching out to the barrier islands.

The largest of The Golden Isles, St. Simons Island continues to reveal the remarkable beauty and fascinating history of what 16th-century Spanish explorers called San Simeon. Visitors come year round to swim, stroll and sail along its miles of lovely beaches, to challenge its 99 holes of superb golf and numerous tennis courts, and to explore its countless shops and restaurants.

Reached by causeway from St. Simons Island, Sea Island is an internationally acclaimed resort. Though much of Sea Island is residential, Island life centers around The Cloister, perennially honored as one of the worlds great hotels. Golf club, beach club, gun club, horseback riding, fine dining and numerous other activities are among the amenities enjoyed by its guests.

Jekyll Island offers an abundance of recreational activities that are sure to please visitors of all ages. Miles of white sand beaches, 63 holes of golf, an outdoor tennis complex, water fun park, fishing pier, nature centers, bike trails and more. Accommodations are invitingly varied and include a grand historic hotel, oceanfront properties, even camping. Jekyll Island, once a haven for Americas elite, now beckons to all.

Accessible only by boat, Little St. Simons Island is the northernmost of The Golden Isles and certainly the most secluded. For many years a privately owned retreat, the Island now offers a limited number of guests the rare opportunity to experience the enchantment and solitude of the isolated beaches and marshlands that bound its10,000 acres of pristine woodlands.

Mainland Brunswick is named for Braunschweig, Germany, the ancestral home of King George II, grantor of Georgias original land charter. The streets and squares of this quiet port city were laid out before the American Revolution and their names, like Newcastle, Norwich, Prince and Gloucester, give Brunswick a decidedly English flavor. The unmistakable flavor of the south, too, can be sampled here, home of the original Brunswick Stew.

Interstate 95, the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, also serves the coast of Georgia. Within Georgia, it begins from the south at the St. Marys River and the Florida state line and continues north past the border of South Carolina at the Savannah River. Exits 29, 36, 38 and 42 serve the Golden Isles of Georgia.

If you would like to receive our regular newsletter containing up-to-date news, information and special offers, subscribe below.

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Golden Isles GA - St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Jekyll ...

Islands Menu

When you walk into the Islands Fresh Mex Grill, the atmosphere hits you like a warm tropical breeze. We are a fresh and fun Mexican restaurant with a touch of the Caribbean. All of these wonderful things are incorporated in our food, atmosphere and customer service....

The fresh, variety of menu items have been carefully developed to give our patrons an innovative selection with quality ingredients, at an affordable price. We want the Islands Fresh Mex Grill to be your #1 choice for lunch, dinner, and drinks.

When you walk into the Islands Fresh Mex Grill, the atmosphere hits you like a warm tropical breeze. We are a fresh and fun Mexican restaurant with a touch of the Caribbean. All of these wonderful things are incorporated in our food, atmosphere and customer service. The Islands Fresh Mex Grill is in Wilmington, NC and specializes in made to order burritos, tacos, salads, nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas and other fresh-mex favorites.

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Islands Fresh Mex Grill - Mexican Restaurant Wilmington nc

Around the Refuge

There are activities year-round at Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge including wildlife viewing, photography, fishing and hunting. Learn more on our Visitor Activities page.

The refuge is a natural area. Be mindful of poison ivy, thorny plants, ticks, bees, and mosquitoes. Observe wildlife from a safe and respectful distance. Binoculars allow you to view wildlife closely without disturbing them. Learn more tips and points of interest on our Plan Your Visit page.

Forty species of native freshwater mussels live within the refuge waters on the Ohio River. This includes six federally endangered mussel species: fanshell, pink mucket, sheepnose, spectaclecase, snuffbox, and rayed bean. Mussels are important to the health of a river ecosystem. They are filter feeders, which helps reduce silt, sediment, and pollutants in the water.

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Page Photo Credits All photos courtesy of USFWS unless otherwise noted., Paden Island - Kent Mason

Last Updated: Apr 14, 2016

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Home - Ohio River Islands - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

New Jersey, the Garden State, is defined by regions clear-cut in their geography and culture. More than 8 million people reside in an environment that ranges from cities and dense forests to casino-lined boardwalks and sandy beaches. Bordered by New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, the state offers visitors a novel mix of outdoor, historic and urban experiences.

The long state brushes against New York in the north and Philadelphia in the south. These major urban areas are hubs where the bulk of New Jerseyites reside. In the densely populated north, for instance, find Newark, gateway to New York and home to a major-league sports arena that is part of MetLife Sports Complex, commonly referred to as the Meadowlands.

Central cities include Trenton, the states capital, and Princeton, which attracts a large number of regional day trippers. Shop along with them in the tidy downtown village or tour local points of historic interest. Top among these are Princeton Battlefield State Park and Rockingham Historic Site, which both played host to the action of the American Revolution. Jackson, near the coast, is home to Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari, an amusement park and 350-acre wildlife preserve.

The Jersey Shore, on the southern coast along the Atlantic Ocean, attracts heavy but happy crowds during the summer. Atlantic City is flush with casinos, hotels and nightlife, housed in a colorful mix of modern and historic buildings that line the four-mile oceanfront boardwalk.

By contrast, the largely undeveloped Pinelands National Reserve spans 1.1 million acres in southern New Jersey. Activities abound in the forests, waterways and parks of the reserve that covers nearly one-quarter of the state.

At the southernmost tip of New Jersey stands Cape May, with land that lies parallel to Washington, D.C. This scenic town, filled with Victorian homes and boutique shopping, is where miles of low-key beachfront and Cape May Point State Park are found. Visitors who climb the nearly 200 steps to the top of the lighthouse are treated to soaring views of the Cape May peninsula.

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New Jersey - Map of Cities in NJ - MapQuest

The islands are the main characteristic of Greeces morphology and an integral part of the countrys culture and tradition. Greek sovereign land includes 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, of which only 227 islands are inhabited. This is a truly unique phenomenon for the European continent.

The Greek Archipelago takes up 7,500 km of the countrys total 16,000 km coastline, offering a highly diversified landscape: beaches stretching over many kilometers, sheltered bays and coves, sandy beaches with sand-dunes, pebble beaches, coastal caves with steep rocks and dark colored sand typical of volcanic soil and coastal wetlands.

Many of these Greek beacheshave been awarded the blue flag under the Blue Flags of Europe Program, providing not only swimming, but also scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, sailing and windsurfing.

Some of the oldest European civilizations developed on the Greek islands (Cycladic, Minoan civilizations, etc.), so therefore the islands have unique archeological sites, a distinctive architectural heritage and the fascinating local traditions of a centuries-old and multifaceted civilization.

The ideal climate, safe waters and small distances between ports and coasts, have made the Greek islands extremely popular among Greek and foreign visitors.

Most of the islands are found in the Aegean Sea and are divided into seven groups (from north to south):

The Northeastern Aegean Islands Agios Efstratios, Thasos, Ikaria, Lesbos, Limnos, Inouses, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Psara.

The Sporades Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros

Evia The prefecture of Evia (which also includes the island of Skiros), is next to the prefecture of Viotia on the east and on the south touches the Aegean Sea, on the north and northwest to the Pagasitiko and Maliako Gulf, while on the west and southwest with the north and south Evian Gulf.

Islands of Argosaronic Angistri, Aegena, Methana, Poros, Salamina, Spetses, Hydra.

The Cyclades A group of 56 islands, with the most important being Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, Sifnos, Syros, Tinos, Folegandros, as well as the Minor Cyclades comprising Donousa, Irakleia, Koufonisia and Schinousa.

The Dodecanese Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Lipsi, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Chalki.

Crete Crete is divided in to four prefectures. From west to east: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Lasithi.

The Ionian Sea has only one island complex:

The Ionian Islands Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Kefallonia, Lefkada, Paxi, and Kythira which is situated opposite the southern Peloponnese (Laconia). These islands, which are the biggest of the Ionian Sea, constitute the famous Eptanissa (meaning seven islands; epta in Greek means seven).

Antipaxi, Ereikoussa, Kalamos, Kastos, Mathraki, Meganissi, Othoni, Skorpios, Strofades are smaller islands of the Ionian Sea.

The islands of Gavdos (situated south of Crete), Elafonissos (in the Gulf of Laconia) and Trizonis (in the Gulf of Corinth), do not forme a group but are still of unparalleled natural beauty.

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Visit Greece | Greek islands

Island Vacation Guide Insider Tips & Ideas

Read our editors favorite tips and tricks for getting great deals, packages and specials; when to travel to avoid crowds, lesser-known destination and how to choose the best island vacation for you.

Some have the means to get away to a secluded island several times of year, while others save up for special occasions like anniversaries, honeymoons and family reunions. Here are some of the top reasons to plan an island getaway and ideas on where to go.

Photo: Hotel Monte Mulini

Create fun memories, whether you want to learn something new like scuba diving or take many sunset walks on the beach. Choose a destination with an overwater restaurant and unique honeymoon suites. Couples enjoy getting massages together and many unique spas offer specially designed couples spa suites. Some of the top resorts in the world are located on an island. Private island vacation ideas include Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands, Cayo Espanto in Belize, Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas and Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. Pricing at Kamalame Cay is all-inclusive: meals, snorkeling gear and sea kayaks. There are many resorts for families and couples on Barbados, including Sandy Lane Resort, The Crane Resort and The Fairmont Royal Pavilion.

While most travelers agree that some of the best destinations include Hawaii, French Polynesia and the Caribbean, which spot you choose will depend on your interests and budget. If you live on the East Coast, getting to the Caribbean or Florida will take less time than flying to the Pacific. If you are on the West Coast, Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii are all great choices. Private island resorts on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia should not be overlooked either - they offer awesome scuba diving, snorkeling and secluded sandy beaches.

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50 Best Island Vacations - VacationIdea

Click on the "Vote button" below to cast your vote for the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Members to be held on 4/20/16. Votes are due by April 19, 2016 at 5pm. Owners who cast a ballot will be entered into a $250 gift card to be drawn at the Annual Meeting.Click here if you prefer a paper copy & ballot

Upcoming Click on the links below for more information

Spring Concerts in the Park

Movie in the Park

Town of Gilbert Street Renovation Information

Monthly Meetings

The Islands Master Association Board MeetingNext Meeting: Monday, April 25 at 5:00 p.m.(The Islands Annual Meeting is Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at 7pm)The Executive Session of the Board of Directors meet following the open session.

The Islands Architectural Review CommitteeRequest Forms due for review by: April 27th by 5pm Next Meeting: May 4th at 5:30 p.m.

Quick Links for The Islands:To receive full access to the website, click here to sign in.

Islands Spring 2016 Newsletter

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Interactive 360 Aerial View of The Islands

Architectural Information

Rodent Control & Prevention

The Association office is located at 825 S. Islands Drive West Gilbert, Arizona, 85233 You can reach us by phone at 480.545.7740, by fax at 480.551.7726, or by email atGinny.Gapen@fsresidential.com

Professionally Managed by FirstService Residential To reach the FirstService 24/7 Customer Call Center, please call 480.551.4300

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Islands Community Association

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Chandi Wyant

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islands & beaches: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

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Nicole Long, Demand Media

Texas island vacations offer fabulous beaches to dip your toes in. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images )

When you think of island vacations, you think relaxation, sun and sand. Situated on the Gulf of Mexico, Texas provides visitors with just that, and more. Texas island vacations allow travelers to enjoy the beach, delve into history and admire unique wildlife. The island communities of Texas are located along the coast and offer not only a respite for the weary traveler, but also a place to let loose, love the climate and enjoy the company of friends.

Featuring 32 miles of sandy beach, this small romantic island offers vacationers a chance to relax as they soak in the sun and dip their toes in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. And though the beaches are an attraction all on their own, Galveston Island has much more to offer. With more than 2000 homes and buildings featured on the National Registry of Historic Places, Galveston Island continues to charm visitors with distinctive Victorian architecture. Historically the area is significant, because it served as the location of the state's first post office and opera house, among other firsts. Downtown, a section designated as "The Strand," is bustling with travelers savoring the fresh seafood of the region, shopping in the area's many specialty boutiques and enjoying horse-drawn carriage rides. Galveston Island galveston.com

Much more than a popular spring break location, South Padre Island entertains and welcomes over one million visitors annually. Situated off the tropical tip of Texas, the barrier island of South Padre is 34 miles long. Originally named "White Sand" by a Spanish explorer, the island has a strict policy regarding proper island attire. No ties are allowed. Visitors violating the ban are given a polite warning and handed a free South Padre Island T-shirt. The island features retail shops, resorts, and outdoor adventures, such as kiteboarding, windsurfing and parasailing. South Padre Island is also an excellent birding area, with more than 306 recorded species of birds. South Padre Island sopadre.com

Mustang Island State Park, a coastal barrier island, offers vacationers five miles of beach and a unique island ecology to explore. The island, originally settled by the Karankawas Indians, offers excellent opportunities for birding, hiking and swimming. Ecological tours of the island are available and showcase the island's plant and animal life, including the estimated 600 species of saltwater fish that inhabit the coastal waters. Primitive camping is available on the beach, while more traditional campgrounds with electricity and water can be found closer to park headquarters. Restrooms and showers are located throughout the park for visitor convenience. Mustang Island truly offers a retreat from hectic schedules and daily responsibilities. Mustang Island tpwd.state.tx.us

Nicole Long is a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio. With experience in management and customer service, business is a primary focus of her writing. Long also has education and experience in the fields of sports medicine, first aid and coaching. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Cincinnati.

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Texas Island Vacations | USA Today

Caribbean Area 2,754,000km2 (1,063,000sqmi) Land area 239,681km2 (92,541sqmi) Population (2009) 39,169,962[1] Density 151.5/km2 (392/sqmi) Ethnic groups Afro-Caribbean, White Caribbean, Indo-Caribbean, Chinese Caribbean,Middle Eastern-Caribbean,[2]Arawak (Kalinago, Tano) Demonym Caribbean, Caribbean person, West Indian Languages Spanish, English, French, Dutch, French Creole, English Creole, Caribbean Hindustani, among others Government 13 sovereign states 17 dependent territories Largest cities List of metropolitan areas in the West Indies Santo Domingo Havana Port-au-Prince Santiago de los Caballeros Kingston Santiago de Cuba San Juan Holgun Cap-Hatien Fort-de-France Port of Spain Internet TLD Multiple Calling code Multiple Time zone UTC-5 to UTC-4

The Caribbean ( or ; Spanish: Caribe; Dutch: Caraben(helpinfo); Caribbean Hindustani: (Kairibiyana); French: Carabe or more commonly Antilles) is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean), and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.

Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 700 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. (See the list.) These islands generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea.[3] The Caribbean islands, consisting of the Greater Antilles on the north and the Lesser Antilles on the south and east (including the Leeward Antilles), are part of the somewhat larger West Indies grouping, which also includes the Lucayan Archipelago (comprising The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands) north of the Greater Antilles and Caribbean Sea. In a wider sense, the mainland countries of Belize, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are also included.

Geopolitically, the Caribbean islands are usually regarded as a subregion of North America[4][5][6][7][8] and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. From December 15, 1954, to October 10, 2010 there was a country known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five states, all of which were Dutch dependencies.[9] While from January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962, there was also a short-lived country called the Federation of the West Indies composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies. The West Indies cricket team continues to represent many of those nations.

The region takes its name from that of the Caribs, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest.[10]

The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" are KARR--BEE-n, with the primary accent on the third syllable, and k-RIB-ee-n, with the accent on the second. The former pronunciation is the older of the two, although the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over 75 years.[11] It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer KARR--BEE-n while North American speakers more typically use k-RIB-ee-n,[12] although not all sources agree.[13] Usage is split within Caribbean English itself.[14]

The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to slavery, European colonisation, and the plantation system.

The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies: Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, the Bahamas, and Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominica, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Tortola, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Definitions of the terms Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles often vary. The Virgin Islands as part of the Puerto Rican bank are sometimes included with the Greater Antilles. The term Lesser Antilles is often used to define an island arc that includes Grenada but excludes Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Antilles.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean.[16]

The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.

The climate of the area is tropical to subtropical in Cuba, The Bahamas and Puerto Rico. Rainfall varies with elevation, size, and water currents (cool upwellings keep the ABC islands arid). Warm, moist tradewinds blow consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous islands. Occasional northwesterlies affect the northern islands in the winter. The region enjoys year-round sunshine, divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the last six months of the year being wetter than the first half.

Hurricane Season is from June to November, but they occur more frequently in August and September and more common in the northern islands of the Caribbean.Hurricanes that sometimes batter the region usually strike northwards of Grenada and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean.

Water temperatures vary from 31C (88F) to 22C (72F) all around the year. The air temperature is warm, in the 20s and 30s C (70s, 80s, and 90s F) during the year, only varies from winter to summer about 25 degrees on the southern islands and about 1020 degrees difference can occur in the northern islands of the Caribbean. The northern islands, like the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Dominican Republic, may be influenced by continental masses during winter months, such as cold fronts.

Aruba: Latitude 12N

Puerto Rico: Latitude 18N

Cuba: at Latitude 22N

Greater Antilles

Lesser Antilles

All islands at some point were, and a few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories:

The British West Indies were united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962. The independent countries formerly part of the B.W.I. still have a joint cricket team that competes in Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The West Indian cricket team includes the South American nation of Guyana, the only former British colony on the mainland of that continent.

In addition, these countries share the University of the West Indies as a regional entity. The university consists of three main campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors in other contributing territories such as Trinidad.

Islands in and near the Caribbean

Maritime boundaries between the Caribbean (island) nations

The Caribbean islands are remarkable for the diversity of their animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of Conservation International's biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands. The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs[22] along with extensive seagrass meadows,[23] both of which are frequently found in the shallow marine waters bordering island and continental coasts off the region.

For the fungi, there is a modern checklist based on nearly 90,000 records derived from specimens in reference collections, published accounts and field observations.[24] That checklist includes more than 11250 species of fungi recorded from the region. As its authors note, the work is far from exhaustive, and it is likely that the true total number of fungal species already known from the Caribbean is higher. The true total number of fungal species occurring in the Caribbean, including species not yet recorded, is likely far higher given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have been discovered.[25] Though the amount of available information is still small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to some Caribbean islands. For Cuba, 2200 species of fungi have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the island;[26] for Puerto Rico, the number is 789 species;[27] for the Dominican Republic, the number is 699 species;[28] for Trinidad and Tobago, the number is 407 species.[29]

Many of the ecosystems of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by deforestation, pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of the first humans is correlated with extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths.[30] The hotspot contains dozens of highly threatened animals (ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles), fungi and plants. Examples of threatened animals include the Puerto Rican amazon, two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and the Hispaniola island, and the Cuban crocodile.

The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and between 500700 species of reef-associated fishes[31] have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in recent years, and are considered particularly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification.[32] According to a UNEP report, the caribbean coral reefs might get extinct in next 20 years due to population explosion along the coast lines, overfishing, the pollution of coastal areas and global warming.[33]

Some Caribbean islands have terrain that Europeans found suitable for cultivation for agriculture. Tobacco was an important early crop during the colonial era, but was eventually overtaken by sugarcane production as the region's staple crop. Sugar was produced from sugarcane for export to Europe. Cuba and Barbados were historically the largest producers of sugar. The tropical plantation system thus came to dominate Caribbean settlement. Other islands were found to have terrain unsuited for agriculture, for example Dominica, which remains heavily forested. The islands in the southern Lesser Antilles, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaao, are extremely arid, making them unsuitable for agriculture. However, they have salt pans that were exploited by the Dutch. Sea water was pumped into shallow ponds, producing coarse salt when the water evaporated.[34]

The natural environmental diversity of the Caribbean islands has led to recent growth in eco-tourism. This type of tourism is growing on islands lacking sandy beaches and dense human populations.[35]

The Martinique amazon, Amazona martinicana, is an extinct species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.

At the time of European contact, the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the Tano of the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles, the Island Caribs of the southern Lesser Antilles, and smaller distinct groups such as the Guanajatabey of western Cuba and the Ciguayo of western Hispaniola. The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been around 750,000 immediately before European contact, although lower and higher figures are given. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases such as smallpox and measles (to which they had no natural immunity)[36] led to a decline in the Amerindian population.[37] From 1500 to 1800 the population rose as slaves arrived from West Africa[38] such as the Kongo, Igbo, Akan, Fon and Yoruba as well as military prisoners and captured slaves from Ireland, who were deported during the Cromwellian reign in England.[39] Immigrants from Britain, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark also arrived, although the mortality rate was high for both groups.[40]

The population is estimated to have reached 2.2 million by 1800.[41] Immigrants from India, China, and other countries arrived in the 19th century.[42] After the ending of the Atlantic slave trade, the population increased naturally.[43] The total regional population was estimated at 37.5 million by 2000.[44]

The majority of the Caribbean has populations of mainly Africans in the French Caribbean, Anglophone Caribbean and Dutch Caribbean, there are minorities of mixed-race and European peoples of Dutch, English, French, Italian and Portuguese ancestry. Asians, especially those of Chinese and Indian descent, form a significant minority in the region and also contribute to multiracial communities. All of their ancestors arrived in the 19th century as indentured laborers.

The Spanish-speaking Caribbean have primarily mixed race, African, or European majorities. Puerto Rico has a European majority with a mixture of European-African (mulatto), and a large West African minority. One third of Cuba's (largest Caribbean island) population is of African descent, with a sizable Mulatto (mixed AfricanEuropean) population, and European majority. The Dominican Republic has the largest mixed race population, primarily descended from Europeans, West Africans, and Amerindians.

Larger islands such as Jamaica, have a very large African majority, in addition to a significant mixed race, Chinese, Europeans, Indian, Lebanese, Latin American, and Syrian populations. This is a result of years of importation of slaves and indentured labourers, and migration. Most multi-racial Jamaicans refer to themselves as either mixed race or Brown. The situation is similar for the Caricom states of Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a multi-racial cosmopolitan society due to the arrival of the Africans, Indians, Chinese, Syrians, Lebanese, Native Amerindians and Europeans. This multi-racial mix has created sub-ethnicities that often straddle the boundaries of major ethnicities and include Chindian, Mulatto and Dougla.

Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Haitian Creole, and Papiamento are the predominant official languages of various countries in the region, though a handful of unique creole languages or dialects can also be found from one country to another.

Christianity is the predominant religion in the Caribbean (84.7%).[45] Other religious groups in the region are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhist, Rastafari, and Afro-American religions such as Santera and Vodou.

Caribbean societies are very different from other Western societies in terms of size, culture, and degree of mobility of their citizens.[46] The current economic and political problems the states face individually are common to all Caribbean states. Regional development has contributed to attempts to subdue current problems and avoid projected problems. From a political and economic perspective, regionalism serves to make Caribbean states active participants in current international affairs through collective coalitions. In 1973, the first political regionalism in the Caribbean Basin was created by advances of the English-speaking Caribbean nations through the institution known as the Caribbean Common Market and Community (CARICOM)[47] which is located in Guyana.

Certain scholars have argued both for and against generalizing the political structures of the Caribbean. On the one hand the Caribbean states are politically diverse, ranging from communist systems such as Cuba toward more capitalist Westminster-style parliamentary systems as in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Other scholars argue that these differences are superficial, and that they tend to undermine commonalities in the various Caribbean states. Contemporary Caribbean systems seem to reflect a "blending of traditional and modern patterns, yielding hybrid systems that exhibit significant structural variations and divergent constitutional traditions yet ultimately appear to function in similar ways."[48] The political systems of the Caribbean states share similar practices.

The influence of regionalism in the Caribbean is often marginalized. Some scholars believe that regionalism cannot exist in the Caribbean because each small state is unique. On the other hand, scholars also suggest that there are commonalities amongst the Caribbean nations that suggest regionalism exists. "Proximity as well as historical ties among the Caribbean nations has led to cooperation as well as a desire for collective action."[49] These attempts at regionalization reflect the nations' desires to compete in the international economic system.[49]

Furthermore, a lack of interest from other major states promoted regionalism in the region. In recent years the Caribbean has suffered from a lack of U.S. interest. "With the end of the Cold War, U.S. security and economic interests have been focused on other areas. As a result there has been a significant reduction in U.S. aid and investment to the Caribbean."[50] The lack of international support for these small, relatively poor states, helped regionalism prosper.

Following the Cold War another issue of importance in the Caribbean has been the reduced economic growth of some Caribbean States due to the United States and European Union's allegations of special treatment toward the region by each other. [clarification needed]

The United States under President Bill Clinton launched a challenge in the World Trade Organization against the EU over Europe's preferential program, known as the Lom Convention, which allowed banana exports from the former colonies of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) to enter Europe cheaply.[51] The World Trade Organization sided in the United States' favour and the beneficial elements of the convention to African, Caribbean and Pacific states has been partially dismantled and replaced by the Cotonou Agreement.[52]

During the US/EU dispute, the United States imposed large tariffs on European Union goods (up to 100%) to pressure Europe to change the agreement with the Caribbean nations in favour of the Cotonou Agreement.[53]

Farmers in the Caribbean have complained of falling profits and rising costs as the Lom Convention weakens. Some farmers have faced increased pressure to turn towards the cultivation of illegal drugs, which has a higher profit margin and fills the sizable demand for these illegal drugs in North America and Europe.[54][55]

Caribbean nations have also started to more closely cooperate in the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and other instruments to add oversight of the offshore industry. One of the most important associations that deal with regionalism amongst the nations of the Caribbean Basin has been the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Proposed by CARICOM in 1992, the ACS soon won the support of the other countries of the region. It was founded in July 1994. The ACS maintains regionalism within the Caribbean on issues unique to the Caribbean Basin. Through coalition building, like the ACS and CARICOM, regionalism has become an undeniable part of the politics and economics of the Caribbean. The successes of region-building initiatives are still debated by scholars, yet regionalism remains prevalent throughout the Caribbean.

The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez launched an economic group called the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which several eastern Caribbean islands joined. In 2012, the nation of Haiti, with 9 million people, became the largest CARICOM nation that sought to join the union.[56]

Here are some of the bodies that several islands share in collaboration:

Coordinates: 143132N 754906W / 14.52556N 75.81833W / 14.52556; -75.81833

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Caribbean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Falkland Islands (; Spanish: Islas Malvinas [malinas]) are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 300 miles (480km) east of South America's southern Patagonian coast, at a latitude of about 52S. The archipelago, with an area of 4,700 square miles (12,000km2), comprises East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 smaller islands. As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The islands' capital is Stanley on East Falkland.

Controversy exists over the Falklands' discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain reasserted its rule in 1833, although Argentina maintains its claim to the islands. In April 1982, Argentine forces temporarily occupied the islands. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the Falklands War.

The population (2,932 inhabitants in 2012)[A] primarily consists of native-born Falkland Islanders, the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarian and Scandinavian. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, and Chile has reversed a population decline. The predominant (and official) language is English. Under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, Falkland Islanders are British citizens.

The islands lie on the boundary of the subantarctic oceanic and tundra climate zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching 2,300 feet (700m). They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands because of competition from introduced species. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the Falkland Islands Government, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.

The Falkland Islands take their name from the Falkland Sound, a strait separating the archipelago's two main islands. The name "Falkland" was applied to the channel by John Strong, captain of an English expedition which landed on the islands in 1690. Strong named the strait in honour of Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, the Treasurer of the Navy who sponsored their journey.[7] The Viscount's title originates from the town of Falkland, Scotland, whose name comes from "folkland" (land held by folk-right). The name was not applied to the islands until 1765, when British captain John Byron of the Royal Navy, claimed them for King George III as "Falkland's Islands".[9] The term "Falklands" is a standard abbreviation used to refer to the islands.

The Spanish name for the archipelago, Islas Malvinas, derives from the French les Malouines the name given to the islands by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1764. Bougainville, who founded the islands' first settlement, named the area after the port of Saint-Malo (the point of departure for his ships and colonists).[11] The port, located in the Brittany region of western France, was in turn named after St. Malo (or Maclou), the Christian evangelist who founded the city.

At the twentieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Fourth Committee determined that, in all languages other than Spanish, all UN documentation would designate the territory as Falkland Islands (Malvinas). In Spanish, the territory was designated as Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands). The nomenclature used by the United Nations for statistical processing purposes is Falkland Islands (Malvinas).[14]

Although Fuegians from Patagonia may have visited the Falkland Islands in prehistoric times,[15] the islands were uninhabited at the time of their discovery by Europeans. Claims of discovery date back to the 16th century, but no consensus exists on whether these early explorers discovered the Falklands or other islands in the South Atlantic.[17][B] The first recorded landing on the islands is attributed to English captain John Strong, who, en route to Peru's and Chile's littoral in 1690, discovered the Falkland Sound and noted the islands' water and game.[20]

The Falklands remained uninhabited until the 1764 establishment of Port Louis on East Falkland by French captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville, and the 1766 foundation of Port Egmont on Saunders Island by British captain John MacBride.[C] Whether or not the settlements were aware of each other's existence is debated by historians.[23] In 1766, France surrendered its claim on the Falklands to Spain, which renamed the French colony Puerto Soledad the following year. Problems began when Spain discovered and captured Port Egmont in 1770. War was narrowly avoided by its restitution to Britain in 1771.

Both the British and Spanish settlements coexisted in the archipelago until 1774, when Britain's new economic and strategic considerations led it to voluntarily withdraw from the islands, leaving a plaque claiming the Falklands for King George III. Spain's Viceroyalty of the Ro de la Plata became the only governmental presence in the territory. West Falkland was left abandoned, and Puerto Soledad became mostly a prison camp. Amid the British invasions of the Ro de la Plata during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, the islands' governor evacuated the archipelago in 1806; Spain's remaining colonial garrison followed suit in 1811, except for gauchos and fishermen who remained voluntarily.

Thereafter, the archipelago was visited only by fishing ships; its political status was undisputed until 1820, when Colonel David Jewett, an American privateer working for the United Provinces of the River Plate, informed anchored ships about Buenos Aires' 1816 claim to Spain's territories in the South Atlantic.[28][D] Since the islands had no permanent inhabitants, in 1823 Buenos Aires granted German-born merchant Luis Vernet permission to conduct fishing activities and exploit feral cattle in the archipelago.[E] Vernet settled at the ruins of Puerto Soledad in 1826, and accumulated resources on the islands until the venture was secure enough to bring settlers and form a permanent colony.[32] Buenos Aires named Vernet military and civil commander of the islands in 1829, and he attempted to regulate sealing to stop the activities of foreign whalers and sealers. Vernet's venture lasted until a dispute over fishing and hunting rights led to a raid by the American warship USS Lexington in 1831,[F] when United States Navy commander Silas Duncan declared the dissolution of the island's government.

Buenos Aires attempted to retain influence over the settlement by installing a garrison, but a mutiny in 1832 was followed the next year by the arrival of British forces who reasserted Britain's rule. The Argentine Confederation (headed by Buenos Aires Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas) protested Britain's actions,[G] and Argentine governments have continued since then to register official protests against Britain.[H] The British troops departed after completing their mission, leaving the area without formal government. Vernet's deputy, the Scotsman Matthew Brisbane, returned to the islands that year to restore the business, but his efforts ended after, amid unrest at Port Louis, gaucho Antonio Rivero led a group of dissatisfied individuals to murder Brisbane and the settlement's senior leaders; survivors hid in a cave on a nearby island until the British returned and restored order. In 1840, the Falklands became a Crown colony, and Scottish settlers subsequently established an official pastoral community. Four years later, nearly everyone relocated to Port Jackson, considered a better location for government, and merchant Samuel Lafone began a venture to encourage British colonisation.[44]

Stanley, as Port Jackson was soon renamed, officially became the seat of government in 1845. Early in its history, Stanley had a negative reputation due to cargo-shipping losses; only in emergencies would ships rounding Cape Horn stop at the port.[46] Nevertheless, the Falklands' geographic location proved ideal for ship repairs and the "Wrecking Trade", the business of selling and buying shipwrecks and their cargoes. Aside from this trade, commercial interest in the archipelago was minimal due to the low-value hides of the feral cattle roaming the pastures. Economic growth began only after the Falkland Islands Company, which bought out Lafone's failing enterprise in 1851,[I] successfully introduced Cheviot sheep for wool farming, spurring other farms to follow suit.[49] The high cost of importing materials, combined with the shortage of labour and consequent high wages, meant the ship repair trade became uncompetitive. After 1870, it declined as the replacement of sail ships by steamships was accelerated by the low cost of coal in South America; by 1914, with the opening of the Panama Canal, the trade effectively ended. In 1881, the Falkland Islands became financially independent of Britain. For more than a century, the Falkland Islands Company dominated the trade and employment of the archipelago; in addition, it owned most housing in Stanley, which greatly benefited from the wool trade with the UK.[49]

In the first half of the 20th century, the Falklands served an important role in Britain's territorial claims to subantarctic islands and a section of Antarctica. The Falklands governed these territories as the Falkland Islands Dependencies starting in 1908, and retained them until their dissolution in 1985. The Falklands also played a minor role in the two world wars as a military base aiding control of the South Atlantic. In the First World War Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914, a Royal Navy fleet defeated an Imperial German squadron. In the Second World War, following the December 1939 Battle of the River Plate, the battle-damaged HMS Exeter steamed to the Falklands for repairs. In 1942, a battalion en route to India was redeployed to the Falklands as a garrison amid fears of a Japanese seizure of the archipelago. After the war ended, the Falklands economy was affected by declining wool prices and the political uncertainty resulting from the revived sovereignty dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina.[46]

Simmering tensions between the UK and Argentina increased during the second half of the century, when Argentine President Juan Pern asserted sovereignty over the archipelago. The sovereignty dispute intensified during the 1960s, shortly after the United Nations passed a resolution on decolonisation which Argentina interpreted as favourable to its position. In 1965, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2065, calling for both states to conduct bilateral negotiations to reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute. From 1966 until 1968, the UK confidentially discussed with Argentina the transfer of the Falklands, assuming its judgement would be accepted by the islanders. An agreement on trade ties between the archipelago and the mainland was reached in 1971 and, consequently, Argentina built a temporary airfield at Stanley in 1972. Nonetheless, Falklander dissent, as expressed by their strong lobby in the UK Parliament, and tensions between the UK and Argentina effectively limited sovereignty negotiations until 1977.

Concerned at the expense of maintaining the Falkland Islands in an era of budget cuts, the UK again considered transferring sovereignty to Argentina in the early Thatcher government.[57] Substantive sovereignty talks again ended by 1981, and the dispute escalated with passing time. In April 1982, the disagreement became an armed conflict when Argentina invaded the Falklands and other British territories in the South Atlantic, briefly occupying them until a UK expeditionary force retook the territories in June.[59] After the war, the United Kingdom expanded its military presence, building RAF Mount Pleasant and increasing the size of its garrison. The war also left some 117 minefields containing nearly 20,000 mines of various types, including anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines.[61] Due to the large number of deminer casualties, initial attempts to clear the mines ceased in 1983.[61][J]

Based on Lord Shackleton's recommendations, the Falklands diversified from a sheep-based monoculture into an economy of tourism and, with the establishment of the Falklands Exclusive Economic Zone, fisheries.[K] The road network was also made more extensive, and the construction of RAF Mount Pleasant allowed access to long haul flights. Oil exploration has also begun, with indications of possible commercially exploitable deposits in the Falklands basin.[64] Landmine clearance work restarted in 2009, in accordance with the UK's obligations under the Ottawa Treaty, and Sapper Hill Corral was cleared of mines in 2012, allowing access to an important historical landmark for the first time in 30 years.[65][66] Argentina and the UK re-established diplomatic relations in 1990; relations have since deteriorated as neither has agreed on the terms of future sovereignty discussions.[67] Disputes between the governments have led "some analysts [to] predict a growing conflict of interest between Argentina and Great Britain... because of the recent expansion of the fishing industry in the waters surrounding the Falklands".

The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory.[69] Under the 2009 Constitution, the islands have full internal self-government; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory".[70] The Monarch of the United Kingdom is the head of state, and executive authority is exercised on the monarch's behalf by the Governor, who in turn appoints the islands' Chief Executive on the advice of members of the Legislative Assembly.[71] Both the Governor and Chief Executive serve as the head of government. Governor Colin Roberts was appointed in April 2014;[73] Chief Executive Keith Padgett was appointed in March 2012.[74] The UK minister responsible for the Falkland Islands since 2012, Hugo Swire, administers British foreign policy regarding the islands.[75]

The Governor acts on the advice of the islands' Executive Council, composed of the Chief Executive, the Director of Finance and three elected members of the Legislative Assembly (with the Governor as chairman).[71] The Legislative Assembly, a unicameral legislature, consists of the Chief Executive, the Director of Finance and eight members (five from Stanley and three from Camp) elected to four-year terms by universal suffrage.[71] All politicians in the Falkland Islands are independent; no political parties exist on the islands.[76] Since the 2013 general election, members of the Legislative Assembly have received a salary and are expected to work full-time and give up all previously held jobs or business interests.[77]

Due to its link to the UK, the Falklands are part of the overseas countries and territories of the European Union.[78] The islands' judicial system, overseen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is largely based on English law, and the constitution binds the territory to the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights.[70] Residents have the right of appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and the Privy Council.[80][81] Law enforcement is the responsibility of the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP), and military defence of the islands is provided by the United Kingdom.[82] A British military garrison is stationed on the islands, and the Falkland Islands government funds an additional company-sized light infantry Falkland Islands Defence Force.[83] The territorial waters of the Falklands extend to 200 nautical miles (370km) from its coastal baselines, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; this border overlaps with the maritime boundary of Argentina.[84]

The United Kingdom and Argentina both claim the Falkland Islands. The UK's position is that the Falklanders have not indicated a desire for change, and that there are no pending issues to resolve concerning the islands.[86] The UK bases its position on its continuous administration of the islands since 1833 (except for 1982) and the islanders' "right to self-determination as set out in the UN Charter".[87] Argentine policy maintains that Falkland Islanders do not have a right to self-determination, claiming that in 1833 the UK expelled Argentine authorities (and settlers) from the Falklands with a threat of "greater force" and, afterwards, barred Argentines from resettling the islands.[88][89] Argentina posits that it acquired the Falklands from Spain when it achieved independence in 1816, and that the UK illegally occupied them in 1833.[88]

In 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown had a meeting with Argentine president Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner, and said that there would be no further talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands.[90] In March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum on its political status, with 99.8 percent of voters favoured remaining under British rule.[91][92] Argentina does not recognise the Falkland Islands as a partner in negotiations;[93] consequently, it dismissed the Falkland Islands' sovereignty referendum.[94]

The Falkland Islands have a land area of 4,700 square miles (12,000km2) and a coastline estimated at 800 miles (1,300km).[95] Two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, and about 776 smaller islands constitute the archipelago. The islands are predominantly mountainous and hilly,[97] with the major exception the depressed plains of Lafonia (a peninsula forming the southern part of East Falkland). The Falklands are continental crust fragments resulting from the break-up of Gondwana and the opening of the South Atlantic that began 130 million years ago. The islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean, on the Patagonian Shelf, about 300 miles (480km) east of Patagonia in southern Argentina.

The Falklands are situated approximately at latitude 5140 5300 S and longitude 5740 6200 W. The archipelago's two main islands are separated by the Falkland Sound, and its deep coastal indentations form natural harbours.[102] East Falkland houses Stanley (the capital and largest settlement), the UK military base at RAF Mount Pleasant, and the archipelago's highest point: Mount Usborne, at 2,313 feet (705m). Outside of these significant settlements is the area colloquially known as "Camp", which is derived from the Spanish term for countryside (Campo).

The climate of the islands is cold, windy and humid maritime. Variability of daily weather is typical throughout the archipelago. Rainfall is common over half of the year, averaging 610 millimetres (24in) in Stanley, and sporadic light snowfall occurs nearly all year.[97] The temperature is generally between 21.1 and 11.1C (70.0 and 12.0F) in Stanley, but can vary to 9C (48F) early in the year and 1C (30F) in July. Strong westerly winds and cloudy skies are common.[97] Although numerous storms are recorded each month, conditions are normally calm.

The Falkland Islands are a biogeographical part of the mild Antarctic zone, with strong connections to the flora and fauna of Patagonia in mainland South America.[106] Land birds make up most of the Falklands' avifauna; 63 species breed on the islands, including 16 endemic species. There is also abundant arthropod diversity on the islands. The Falklands' flora consists of 163 native vascular species. The islands' only native terrestrial mammal, the warrah, was hunted to extinction by European settlers.

The islands are frequented by marine mammals, such as the southern elephant seal and the South American fur seal, and various types of cetaceans; offshore islands house the rare striated caracara. The Falklands are also home to five different penguin species and a few of the largest albatross colonies on the planet.[111] Endemic fish around the islands are primarily from the genus Galaxias. The Falklands are treeless and have a wind-resistant vegetation predominantly composed of a variety of dwarf shrubs.

Virtually the entire land area of the islands is used as pasture for sheep.[2] Introduced species include reindeer, hares, rabbits, Patagonian foxes, brown rats and cats. The detrimental impact several of these species have caused to native flora and fauna has led authorities to attempt to contain, remove or exterminate invasive species such as foxes, rabbits and rats. Endemic land animals have been the most affected by introduced species. The extent of human impact on the Falklands is unclear, since there is little long-term data on habitat change.[106]

The economy of the Falkland Islands is ranked the 222nd largest out of 229 in the world by GDP (PPP), but ranks 10th worldwide by GDP (PPP) per capita.[2] The unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in 2010, and inflation was last calculated at 1.2 percent rate in 2003.[2] Based on 2010 data, the islands have a high Human Development Index of 0.874 and a moderate Gini coefficient for income inequality of 34.17. The local currency is the Falkland Islands pound, which is pegged to the British pound sterling.[116]

Economic development was advanced by ship resupplying and sheep farming for high-quality wool.[117] The main sheep breeds in the Falkland Islands are Polwarth and Corriedale.[118] During the 1980s, although synthetic fibres and ranch underinvestment hurt the sheep-farming sector, the government established a major revenue stream with the establishment of an exclusive economic zone and the sale of fishing licenses to "anybody wishing to fish within this zone". Since the end of the Falklands War in 1982, the islands' economic activity has increasingly focused on oil field exploration and tourism.

The port city of Stanley has regained the islands' economic focus, with an increase in population as workers migrate from Camp. Fear of dependence on fishing licences and threats from overfishing, illegal fishing and fish market price fluctuations have increased interest on oil drilling as an alternative source of revenue; exploration efforts have yet to find "exploitable reserves". Development projects in education and sports have been funded by the Falklands government, without aid from the United Kingdom.

The primary sector of the economy accounts for most of the Falkland Islands' gross domestic product, with the fishing industry alone contributing between 50% and 60% of annual GDP; agriculture also contributes significantly to GDP and employs about a tenth of the population.[122] A little over a quarter of the workforce serves the Falkland Islands government, making it the archipelago's largest employer.[123] Tourism, part of the service economy, has been spurred by increased interest in Antarctic exploration and the creation of direct air links with the United Kingdom and South America.[124] Tourists, mostly cruise ship passengers, are attracted by the archipelago's wildlife and environment, as well as activities such as fishing and wreck diving; the majority are based in accommodation found in Stanley.[125] The islands' major exports include wool, hides, venison, fish and squid; its main imports include fuel, building materials and clothing.[2]

The Falkland Islands are a homogeneous society, with the majority of inhabitants descended from Scottish and Welsh immigrants who settled the territory in 1833.[L] The 2006 census listed some Falklands residents as descendants of French, Gibraltarians and Scandinavians.[127] That census indicated that one-third of residents were born on the archipelago, with foreign-born residents assimilated into local culture.[128] The legal term for the right of residence is "belonging to the islands".[71] The British Nationality Act of 1983 gave British citizenship to Falkland Islanders.

A significant population decline affected the archipelago in the twentieth century, with many young islanders moving overseas in search of education, a modern lifestyle, and better job opportunities,[129] particularly to the British city of Southampton, which came to be nicknamed "Stanley north".[130] In recent years, the island's population decline has steadied, thanks to immigrants from the United Kingdom, Saint Helena, and Chile. In the 2012 census, a majority of residents listed their nationality as Falkland Islander (59 percent), followed by British (29 percent), Saint Helenian (9.8 percent), and Chilean (5.4 percent).[1] A small number of Argentines also live on the islands.[132]

The Falkland Islands have a low population density. According to the 2012 census, the average daily population of the Falklands was 2,932, excluding military personnel serving in the archipelago and their dependents.[M] A 2012 report counted 1,300 uniformed personnel and 50 British Ministry of Defence civil servants present in the Falklands.[123] Stanley (with 2,121 residents) is the most-populous location on the archipelago, followed by Mount Pleasant (369 residents, primarily air-base contractors) and Camp (351 residents).[1] The islands' age distribution is skewed towards working age (2060). Males outnumber females (53 to 47 percent), and this discrepancy is most prominent in the 2060 age group.[127] In the 2006 census most islanders identified themselves as Christian (67.2 percent), followed by those who refused to answer or had no religious affiliation (31.5 percent). The remaining 1.3 percent (39 people) were adherents of other faiths.[127]

Education in the Falkland Islands, which follows England's system, is free and compulsory for residents aged between 5 and 16 years.[134] Primary education is available at Stanley, RAF Mount Pleasant (for children of service personnel) and a number of rural settlements. Secondary education is only available in Stanley, which offers boarding facilities and 12 subjects to General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level. Students aged 16 or older may study at colleges in England for their GCE Advanced Level or vocational qualifications. The Falkland Islands government pays for older students to attend institutions of higher education, usually in the United Kingdom.[134]

Falklands culture is "based on the British culture brought with the settlers from the British Isles", although it has been influenced by the cultures of Hispanic South America. Some terms and place names used by the islands' former Gaucho inhabitants are still applied in local speech. The Falklands' predominant and official language is English, with the foremost dialect being British English; nonetheless, inhabitants also speak Spanish and other languages. According to naturalist Will Wagstaff, "the Falkland Islands are a very social place, and stopping for a chat is a way of life".

The islands have two weekly newspapers: Teaberry Express and The Penguin News, and television and radio broadcasts generally feature programming from the United Kingdom. Wagstaff describes local cuisine as "very British in character with much use made of the homegrown vegetables, local lamb, mutton, beef, and fish". Common between meals are "home made cakes and biscuits with tea or coffee". Social activities are, according to Wagstaff, "typical of that of a small British town with a variety of clubs and organisations covering many aspects of community life".

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Coordinates: 5141S 5910W / 51.683S 59.167W / -51.683; -59.167

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Are you ready for a change from the big city beach resorts? In Chincoteague there are no high rises, board walks, or traffic jams. Chincoteague Island is a serene, yet fun filled, tourist destination. Chincoteague Island is Virginia's only resort Island. Located on Virginias Eastern Shore, Chincoteague is within easy reach from all major cities on the mid-Atlantic seaboard. Chincoteague is the gateway to the Virginia portion of Assateague Island, home of the famous Chincoteague Wild Ponies. Chincoteague offers a relaxed atmosphere and the beauty of unspoiled nature. From relaxing on the beach to viewing a spectacular sunset over the Chincoteague Bay, there is never a shortage of things to do in Chincoteague. We hope that you will fall in love with our Island, the way so many others already have.

Chincoteague Island gained national fame in 1961 when Twentieth Century Fox premiered the movie Misty of Chincoteague. The movie was based on author Marguerite Henry's award-winning children's book Misty of Chincoteague, which she wrote in 1947 while staying at Miss Molly's Inn on Chincoteague Island. The book and movie helped to forever transition Chincoteague Island from a small fishing village into a world-class tourist destination.

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