[1][2] Great Exuma island has an area of 61 sq. mi (158 km²) while Little Exuma has an area of 11 sq. mi (29 km²). Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Exuma more than doubled, reflecting the construction of large and small resort properties and the related direct air traffic to Great Exuma.

The islands are a popular spot for yachting, sailing, diving, and coral reef and cave exploring.[4] Many of the unnamed beaches and coves of the islands, including extensive offshore reef areas, are included in the protected Exuma National Land and Sea Park of the Bahamas National Trust. Some of the islands on which there are permanent residents and resorts include Staniel Cay (home of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a fixture in the Exumas), Fowl Cay, Musha Cay and Iguana Cay.[5] Thunderball Grotto, located just a few hundred yards off Staniel Cay, is one location where the James Bond film Thunderball was filmed. Sandy Cay, just a short boat ride from Little Exuma was the location used for filming the Pirates of the Caribbean beach scenes and one Shell commercial. The novel Wind from the Carolinas was set in Great Exuma.[6]

The Exumas are the historic home of the Lucayan Natives, who were wholly enslaved in the 16th century, leaving the islands uninhabited until the 18th century. In the intervening period, the Exumas provided many hideouts and stashes for pirates. Elizabeth Harbor was a favorite lair of Captain Kidd.

Jumentoes

The Jumento Cays are a forgotten group of islands rimming the southern edge of the 330-mile-long Great Bahama Bank in a hundred-mile arc. Only the southernmost island of the chain, Ragged Island, is inhabited (about 40 people live there). From north to south, the islands get progressively bigger, starting as basketball court?size and growing to a square mile or two; they’re separated by stretches of water ranging from a few yards to a few miles at the southern end. Four times a day, the tide rips through these “cuts,” either dumping off the Bank or pouring in from the ocean. Jumento Cays is sometimes used synonymously with the “Ragged Islands”.

Ragged Island is part of the Jumentos cays and Ragged Island Chain. The croissant shaped chain measures over 110 miles in length and includes cays known as Racoon Cay, Hog Cay and Double-Breasted Cay.Duncan town is the only settlement of the entire chain and is situated within a bay of shallow water. The island relies on the “mail boat” for transportation to and from the major islands and for freight and commerce. The island contains a small air strip and a harbor.