Columbus made a stop here and changed its name from the Arawak name Yuma to Fernandina, after Ferdinand, the King of Spain. The island has a variety of communities from different ethnic backgrounds, from Europe, Africa and North America.
Most islanders live on the west side where the hills and dunes offer some protection from the sea.
There are paths and dirt tracks to the east side, mostly used by fishermen. Villages to the south are rather neglected. The landscape is diverse, with tall white cliffs at Cape Santa Maria with caves below, old salt pans near Clarence Town, dense bush over much of the island and scattered areas of cactii. It has a rocky coastline on one side and lovely beaches and crystal clear water on the other, with the usual friendly fish and lots of convenient wrecks. One, a German freighter sunk in 1917, lies in 25ft of water only 200 yds from the beach at Guana Cay, south of Salt Pond.