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We all know that pigs can't fly. But did you know that they can swim? That's right, our pig friends do have some pretty impressive abilities. If you're planning to visit the Bahamas anytime soon, you should see the island's most famous inhabitants: the swimming pigs. The swimming pigs of the Bahamas are well known among islanders and tourists alike, and for good reason. You'll find them in the waters of the lovingly named Pig Beach, on the coast of one of the most beautiful regions of the Bahamas: the Exumas.
How to find swimming pigs? There's nothing more exciting than the sight of pigs splashing in the sun. azure waters ocean. These pigs are not shy. In fact, they are relatively easy to find. They inhabit the island of Great Major Cay, which is one of the 365 islands of the Exumas. However, thanks to its famous residents, Big Major Cay is better known as Pig Island. The piglets are very friendly, and often swim up to the boats with tourists who feed the animals with all sorts of goodies.
Where are the Exumas? The Exumas are a chain of small islands that form part of the Bahamas. These tiny islands boast breathtaking white sand beaches, crystal clean water and fabulous landscapes.
Is it possible to swim with pigs? You've heard all about swimming with dolphins, but what about swimming with pigs? Pig Beach is the place for this unusual holiday, and it's definitely something you'll remember for a long time.
Even though swimming pigs are wild, they are incredibly friendly. They will allow you to swim right up to them. Swimming pigs are wonderful smart creatures, and they are used to human company, although there are no permanent residents on their island. How did the Pigs Get There? There are several different theories about how the pigs got there.
Some people claim that they were on a ship that crashed and managed to gather food on the island and thrive in their new home.
Others think the pirates may have landed the pigs there, planning to return later and turn them into bacon.
Another theory is that it is simply a tourist attraction. But one thing is for sure, the pigs are very happy with their home.
The Bahamas is a collection of paradise tropical islands in the western part Atlantic Ocean. Most of them are overrun by tourists, but there is one particular island that is occupied by pigs. It is called the Island of Pigs.
Let us immediately designate important detail. If you think that Pig Island is a place where you can see clueless and ignorant tourists or dirty beaches, then you are wrong. The Island of Pigs is the most ordinary paradise island, where the main population is... pigs. Yes, ordinary domestic ones, but feral piglets live in this secluded place.
That is why the island is known throughout the world as Pig Island, although officially it is called Big Major Cay.
Where is Pig Island?
The island is located in the Exuma region, which consists of 360 islands. Nearby are the islands of Steniel Cay in the southeast and Foul Cay in the northwest. The capital of the Bahamas, the city of Nassau, lies 130 kilometers to the northwest.
Geographic coordinates 24.183436, -76.456483
Pigs on the island are waterfowl
General information about Pig Island
The length of the island is about 1.9 km, and the width reaches 1.6 km. The surface area is slightly less than 1 km 2.
The island is covered tropical forests. Sources can be found here fresh water and even 3 is enough large lakes. One of them (approximately 210 by 130 meters in size) is located in the central part of the island, and the other two lie side by side in the southern part. They are slightly smaller in size. There are beautiful sandy beaches on the coast of the island.
Despite the conditions being close to ideal, there are no people or hotels on the island. This is a practically uninhabited corner of the planet (with the exception of piglets, of course).
Theories about the pigs taking over the island
There is no reliable information about how pigs appeared in the Bahamas. But there are several assumptions.
- Perhaps the sailors left the pigs here as food supplies. They planned to pick them up later, but they never showed up, and the pigs took root on the island
- According to the second version, the pigs survived the shipwreck, reached the island, survived and even increased the population
- There is also a pragmatic theory according to which the pigs were simply brought here as an interesting and extraordinary attraction. This version looks quite real, since tourists willingly go to the island of pigs, where they can not only hand-feed piglets, but even swim with them
- Well, the most prosaic hypothesis says that the pigs were expelled from the neighboring island. The fact is that the pigsties on the island of Steniel Cay were sources unpleasant odors, about which they began to complain and local residents, and tourists. Therefore, at the end of the last century, the good-natured piglets had to be sent into exile. neighboring island Big Major Kay
It must be said that the pigs on the island adapted quite quickly. Now there are about 20 piglets here, who are absolutely not afraid of people or boats. Moreover, the pigs are so accustomed to the constant attention of tourists that they literally they attack tourist boats, knowing that people always bring something tasty with them.
Food interactions between humans and animals are quite common. For example, on Monkey Island in Hainan macaques actively demand goodies from visitors, and for disobedience they can steal some shiny thing from you, from chains to telephones.
Why pigs in the Bahamas learned to swim
In general, pigs are indifferent to swimming, but the inhabitants of the island of pigs are very fond of water procedures. This has developed in piglets over several generations. The pigs on the island began to understand that the sound of motor boats heralds the arrival of people, which means they will bring various pig goodies. Over time, the pigs, trying to speed up the moment of eating the treats, began to go deeper and deeper into the water, and so they learned to swim.
Now even the little piglets on the island can swim. Hearing the sound of engines, the pigs set off to meet the tourists. Quite often, piglets practically climb into boats and beg for treats from people.
Do not think that only pigs are able to get used to a person and eat practically from his hands. About 750 kilometers southwest of Pig Island in the Cayman Islands is located City of Stingrays. Here the graceful and deadly stingrays meet people and beg for food in their own way.
The place where you can see piglets is called Pig Beach. This small strip of sand, about 200 meters long, is located on the west coast of the island.
Nowadays, swimming with dolphins will surprise few people. Many sophisticated travelers prefer swimming with pigs in the Bahamas. This is one of the most popular tourist places in the Bahamas.
Trips
Do you think that beaches have become something ordinary for many, and nothing can surprise an ordinary tourist anymore?
1. Beautiful glass beach
Place: Hanapepe, Kauai County, Hawaii, USA
What's special:N Although the beach itself is made up of just rocks and basalt, it is covered in millions of pieces of sea glass that have washed ashore over the years.
Similar beaches can be found in Fort Bragg and Benicia, both located in California.
2. Green sand beach
Place: Papakolea Beach, Cape Ka Lae, Hawaii
What's special: The sand at the site is brilliant green thanks to the rock-forming mineral olivine, which comes from an ash cone - a conical mound of mounded material ejected during a volcanic eruption.
This is one of four beaches in the world with bright green sand. Others can be found in the town of Talofofo, Guam, on the island of Floreana, Galapagos archipelago, and at Lake Hornindalsvatnet in Norway.
3. Star Sand Beach
Place: Iriomote Island, Japan
What's special: Most often, those who come to this beach can be seen bent over, as they are all interested in exploring this unusual beach, namely the intricate particles that make up the beach.
Star Beach is actually made up of external skeletons foraminifera - microscopic marine organisms that have washed ashore for many years. If you look closely, some organisms are still alive.
4. Beach that makes sounds
Place: Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, USA
What's special: P Before your imagination gets carried away, know that the sounds on this beach come from the friction between grains of sand. In fact, the sounds are more like grinding than a melody as such.
One way or another, this beach is one of the main attractions of the area.
5. Sandy shell beach in the middle of a meadow
Place: Playa de Gulpiyuri, Spain
What's special: Imagine that you are walking through a meadow and suddenly come across sandy beach. If this happens, then you can only be in one place - Playa de Gulpiyuri.
Despite the fact that there is no ocean or sea nearby, the beach is actually connected by a network of complex underground waterways leading to the Atlantic Ocean.
6. Pink sand beach
Place: Harbor Island, Bahamas
What's special:All over west coast Bahamas washed ashore blurred parts of red corals. They mixed with the sand and gave it a shade of pink.
7. Purple sand beach
Place: Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California, USA
What's special: E that extraordinary beach is painted in shades of purple. The color of the sand comes from nearby deposits of quartz and dark red manganese, which are stored in the rocks.
8. Cathedral Beach
Place: Playa de las Catedrales/Praia de Augas Santas, Ribadeo, Spain
What's special: Magnificent geological formations create a cathedral-like effect throughout Spanish beach. You can only get here at low tide.
9. Maho - beach near the airport
Place: Saint Martin Island
What's special: The beach is in close proximity to International Airport Princess Juliana. Vacationers can touch airplanes flying over the beach with one jump.
10. Sunny beach with a tunnel
Place: Dunedin, New Zealand
What's special: Heading towards the beach, you will cross a private farm, after which you will have to go through a long, hair-raising tunnel before reaching your destination. On the shore you can see beautiful sand cliffs, caves, rock arches and other unusual rock formations of the Pacific Ocean.
11. Disappearing beach in India
Place: Chandipur Beach, India
What's special: In the mornings, this beach completely disappears, as if by magic. At low tide, the water moves 5 km from the shore, allowing vacationers to walk along the shore and explore seabed and some of its inhabitants - crabs, for example.
But as soon as high waves come to the fore, vacationers are better off leaving the beach, because... the sea returns to its place. This phenomenon occurs twice a day all year round.
12. Hidden beach in Mexico
Place: Marieta Islands, Mexico
What's special: Called "Playa de Amor" (beach of love), this paradise was actually created when the government At the beginning of the first decade of the 20th century, Mexico decided to throw a bomb at this site.Thus, it created a huge hole in the canopy of the cave.
Despite its terrible past, this place is quite welcoming and the beach is simply magnificent.
13. Black Beach
Place: Punaluu, Hawaii
What's special: If you're tired of the regular beach, head to Punaluu Island, where all the sand is black. Vacationers come here to sunbathe, but you are unlikely to want to swim, because... Due to the many fresh water sources in the region, the water here is quite cold.
There are also a lot of turtles here, which are protected by law. They come ashore to bask and also lay eggs.
14. White Beach
Place: Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia
What's special: This beach was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the beach with the whitest sand on planet Earth.
15. Rainbow Beach
Place: South East Queensland, Australia
What's special: The multi-colored sand dunes surrounding the city give this beach 74 different shades. The colored sand is the result of erosion and iron oxide that has been occurring here for many years.
16. Beach with pigs in the Bahamas
Place: Big Major Cay, Bahamas
What's special: Big Major Cay is an island inhabited by several wild pigs, which often run out of the thickets to plunge into clear water. No one knows where the 20-odd wild pigs came from, but they certainly made this place interesting for tourists.
17. Beach Scala Dei Turchi in Italy
Place: southern Sicily, Realmonte commune, Italy
What's special: Scala dei Turchi is a series of steps made of white stones. These steps were formed due to prolonged exposure to waves.
If you walk through these areas, you will most likely be covered in white limestone. But don't be alarmed, locals say it's even good for your skin.
18. Whitehaven Beach in Australia
Place: Whitsunday Island, Australia
What's special: This beach is not only visually stunning, it has also been voted the cleanest beach in the world.
Local beaches usually have white sand containing large number silicon dioxide, which does not retain heat, allowing visitors to calmly walk along the beach barefoot on a hot sunny day.
19. Shell Beach
Place: L'Haridon Bight, Shark Bay, Western Australia
What's special: the entire coast is covered with a layer of shells. The thickness of this layer varies from 7 to 10 meters.
Due to the high salt content in the water, mollusks have no enemies. In such conditions, their natural predators cannot survive, so the mollusks reproduce here in large quantities.
20. Desert in Brazil that turns into a beach
Place: National Park Lencois Maranhenses, Maranhão state, northern Brazil
What's special: Every time at the beginning of the year, heavy rainfall falls here, and water begins to fill the dunes in the desert national park. This creates beautiful turquoise lagoons in white sand.
In October the water completely evaporates. Before that, if you look closely, you can see several varieties of fish swimming in the water.
Beaches of the world
Bonus:
Lagoon with black sand and ice blocks
Place: Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, southeast Iceland
What's special: Blocks of ice, like shiny crystals, are scattered along the black coast.
This place attracts many tourists. Movies are even filmed here commercials. The ice here came from a nearby glacier, and the black sand from volcanic rocks.
- Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance
- Protection of consumer rights: insurance contract - legal services of the Legas company Protection of rights under an insurance contract
- Consolidated register of the territorial body of the federal treasury
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