Ambergris Cay is an island within the Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...

. It was named for valuable deposits of ambergris

Ambergris

Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull gray or blackish color produced in the digestive system of and regurgitated or secreted by sperm whales....

, a waxy substance that migrating humpback whale

Humpback Whale

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...

s secrete, found on the 8 miles (12.9 km) of shoreline. The island is approximately four miles long, one mile (1.6 km) wide, and 1100 acres (4.5 km²) in total. It was uninhabited until 1997, but has a small population today.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Loyalist

Loyalist

In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....

s settled on Ambergris Cay, raised cows, made pottery, and built houses, stables, and cisterns (ruins still exist of each of these).