Cat Island is located in central Bahamas. Until written accounts were found, Cat Island was thought to be Guanahani or San Salvador, the first island Christopher Columbus arrived at in the Americas. There is also a cat island in Louisiana
The first white settlers were Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, who arrived in 1783. The island may have been named after Arthur Catt, a pirate, or the name may refer to its one-time large population of feral cats. Historically, the island gained wealth from cotton plantations.
It has the nation’s highest point, Mount Alvernia (formerly known as Como Hill) which is topped by a monastery called The Hermitage.