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Encompassing more than 365 islands, cays and rock outcroppings, THE EXUMAS stretch over one hundred miles along the eastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank. Bound on one side by the bank's shallow, clear waters, and on the other by the deep waves of Exuma Sound, the island chain is predominantly oriented toward fishing and farming, though the tourist trade continues to make slow but steady progress. Not surprisingly, the most compelling reasons to visit the Exumas are to sail, snorkel, dive or kayak , as the surrounding waters are lush with undersea gardens and iridescent coral reefs, and abundant with multicoloured sea life. A bit less stunning than the luminous turquoise sea around them, the Exumas are mainly low-lying chunks of honeycombed limestone , rimmed by bright, powdery sand and covered with dense vegetation. While the outlying reefs and bars glow with swirling blue and white tones, the cays themselves are a dun-coloured landscape marked by pristine expanses of soft white beaches, towering silhouettes of coconut palms and dunes covered with tangled vines and exotic blooms. The largest islands in the Exuma chain are Great Exuma and Little Exuma at the southern end, which have been settled and farmed for two hundred years, giving them an authentic pastoral character. North of Great Exuma, there are a few small fishing settlements on sleepy Little Farmer's Cay , on Great Guana Cay at Blackpoint , and on inviting Staniel Cay , which famously hosts a New Year's Day regatta with three days of festivities. North of Staniel Cay, a lengthy array of mostly uninhabited cays extends thirty miles, with the highlight being the Exuma Land and Sea Park , a protected sanctuary of extraordinary beauty.
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