Matthew Town
Matthew Town is the chief and only settlement on Great Inagua Island of the Bahamas. It is located on the southwest corner of the island. It was named after Bahamian Governor George Matthew (1844–1849) and first settled during his tenure in office. It has several buildings dating to the 19th century including the 1870 Great Inagua Lighthouse.
Matthew Town | |
|---|---|
Settlement | |
 | |
  Matthew Town | |
| Coordinates: 20°57′N 73°40′W | |
| Country |  Bahamas |
| Island | Great Inagua |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 430[1] |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone) |
| Area code | 242 |
| Great Inagua Lighthouse Southwest Point | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 20°56′00.7″N 73°40′27.4″W |
| Constructed | 1870 |
| Construction | masonry tower |
| Height | 34 metres (112 ft) |
| Shape | tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white tower and lantern |
| Operator | Bahamas Port Department[2] |
| Focal height | 37 metres (121 ft) |
| Range | 22 nautical miles (41 km; 25 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (2) W 10s. |
Almost the entire population of Inagua resides in Matthew Town (approx. 1,000 people), and many of them are employed by the Morton Salt Company,[lower-alpha 1] the island's largest employer.[4]
Climate
Matthew Town has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), being much drier than the northern Bahamas as it lies further from the wet western side of the North Atlantic subtropical anticyclone. The wettest months are May and September to November.
| Climate data for Matthew Town | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
29.4 (84.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.9 (91.2) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
29.2 (84.6) |
30.8 (87.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.2 (75.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.1 (79.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.4 (70.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
20.5 (68.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 49.8 (1.96) |
37.3 (1.47) |
34.5 (1.36) |
40.9 (1.61) |
82.6 (3.25) |
28.7 (1.13) |
21.1 (0.83) |
49.5 (1.95) |
84.6 (3.33) |
119.4 (4.70) |
72.4 (2.85) |
37.3 (1.47) |
658.1 (25.91) |
| Average rainy days | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 70 |
| Source: [5] | |||||||||||||
See also
Notes
- In 2008 Morton's employed about 60% of the island's working population.[3]
References
- World Gazetteer
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the Bahamas". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- "Workers at Bahamas' Morton Salt plant end strike". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. 27 August 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017.
- Scavella, Nico (20 April 2016). "Morton Salt Signs Five-Year Deal With Workers". The Tribune. The Bahamas. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016.
- "MATTHEW TOWN, THE BAHAMAS". Weatherbase. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
