Crooked Island is part of a group of islands semi-encircling a large, shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins, of which the largest is the northern Crooked Island. The main town on the island is Colonel Hill.
The islands were settled by American Loyalists in the late 1780s who set cotton plantations employing over 1,000 slaves. After the abolition of slavery in the British Empire these became uneconomical, and the replacement income from sponge diving has now dwindled as well. The inhabitants now live by fishing and small-scale farming.