Acklins and Crooked Islands was a district

Districts of the Bahamas

Local government in the Bahamas exists in two forms, namely second-schedule and third-schedule district councils. There are a total of 32 local government districts: 13 second-schedule districts, which are further sub-divided into town areas, and 19 third-schedule districts, which are all unitary...

 of the Bahamas until 1996, and as Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay until 1999. (islands are located at 22°30′N 74°0′W)

It consisted of a group of islands semi-encircling a large, shallow lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 called the Bight of Acklins, of which the largest are Crooked Island in the north and Acklins

Acklins

Acklins is an island and district of the Bahamas.It is one of a group of islands arranged along a large, shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins, of which the largest are Crooked Island in the north and Acklins in the southeast, and the smaller are Long Cay [ 8sq mi] in the northwest, and...

 in the south-east, and the smaller are Long Cay (once known as Fortune Island) in the north-west, and Castle Island in the south.

The islands were settled by American Loyalists

Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...

 in the late 1780s who set cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

s employing over 1,000 slaves

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

. After the abolition of slavery in the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 these became uneconomical, and the replacement income from sponge

Sea sponge

Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...

 diving has now dwindled as well. The inhabitants now live by fishing and small-scale farming.

The main town in the group is Colonel Hill

Colonel Hill

Colonel Hill is a town in the Bahamas, located on Crooked Island....

 on Crooked Island. Albert Town, on Long Cay, now sparsely populated, was once a prosperous little town. It was engaged in the sponge and salt

Salt

In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 industries and also served as a transfer port for stevedore

Stevedore

Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....

s seeking work on passing ships.

The population of Acklins was 428, and Crooked Island 350, at the 2000 census.

Since 1999, Acklins and Crooked Island are separate districts.