Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is roughly in area and approximately long west to east and at its widest point north to south. Administratively, the island consists of the Freeport Bonded Area and the districts of East Grand Bahama and West Grand Bahama. Nearly half of the homes on the island were damaged or destroyed in early September 2019 by Hurricane Dorian. Climate Grand Bahama Island has a tropical monsoon climate, with a hot and wet season from May through October, and warm and dry season from November through April. In Freeport the summer high temperatures average , with average lows of . During the winter, the average high temperature is , and the average low is . The rainy season in the Bahamas is from May to October. The hurricane season runs from June through November, with the greatest risk in the months of August, September, and October. History Early Spanish contact The indigenous Lucayan people's name for the island was ('large upper middle island'). Grand Bahama's existence for almost two centuries was largely governed by the nature of the treacherous coral reefs surrounding the island, which repelled its Spanish claimants (who largely left it alone apart from infrequent en route stops by ships for provisions) while attracting pirates, who would lure ships onto the reefs where they would run aground and be plundered. The Spaniards took little interest in the island after enslaving the native Lucayan inhabitants. British rule In 1670, Charles II of England issued a land patent, granting the Bahamas to the eight Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas. By 1828, Grand Bahama remained almost unpopulated. A brief smuggling boom occurred during the years of prohibition in the United States, when West End, Grand Bahama, and Bimini served as waystations for illicit imports of liquor to the U.S. The major settlement that developed on the island was Freeport-Lucaya, but other hamlets and settlements emerged, including Russell Town, Williams Town, Smith's Point, Mather Town, Pinder's Point, Lewis Yard, Hunter's, and Mack Town. Hawksbill Creek Agreement era By the mid-20th century, Grand Bahama's population numbered around 500 and the island was one of the least developed of the Bahamas' islands. However