Cumberland Island

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For the Cumberland Islands of Northern Queensland, see Cumberland Islands.

Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of Camden County (30°51′N 81°27′W). The island is 17.5 miles (28 km) long, with an area of 36,415 acres (147.37 km²), including 16,850 acres (68.19 km²) of marsh, mudflats, and tidal creeks. There is no bridge to the island; the most convenient boat access is from the town of St. Marys, Georgia.

Most of Cumberland Island is part of Cumberland Island National Seashore, but there are also many private properties. Much of the public land is managed as wilderness area.

Cumberland is one of Georgia's barrier islands, the largest in terms of continuously exposed land area. The National Park Service limits how many humans can be on the island at any one time to 300 visitors per day, and campers may stay only 7 nights.

The island has three major ecosystem regions. Along the western edge of the island there are large areas of saltwater marshes. One will also see gnarled live oak trees covered with Spanish moss and the palmetto plants at the edge of Cumberland's dense maritime forest. Cumberland Island's most famous ecosystem is its beach, which stretches over 17 miles (27 km) from Long Point on the north to the southern tip opposite Florida's Amelia Island. Along this long, uninterrupted stretch of white sand, one may see wild horses, birds, and other wildlife. This area is also an important nesting area for loggerhead sea turtles.

Cumberland Island is really two islands--the island proper and Little Cumberland Island--connected by a marsh. Little Cumberland is privately owned and not generally open to the public. Historically, Cumberland Island was in private hands, but large areas were deeded to the National Parks Foundation by members or heirs of the Carnegie family in 1971. Other lands in private ownership were purchased with funds provided the Mellon Foundation and Congress, and in 1972 Cumberland Island was designated a national seashore. A small number of people--principally descendants of property owners--still have houses on the western and northern regions of the island, though only a very few people actually live year-round on the island. Many, however, have sold their property to the National Park Service (NPS), which in turn leases the property back to the former landowners during their lifetime. Eventually, the property will revert to the Park Service and become part of the national seashore.

During the 17th century, Cumberland Island was part of the Mocama missionary province of Spanish Florida.

A ferry runs twice a day to Cumberland Island from the mainland. The only other way to reach the island is by private boat. Visitors cannot bring vehicles or bikes, and there are no paved roads or trails. Visitors walk everywhere they go, but Cumberland Island is less than six miles (10 km) wide at the widest point. The eastern seashore is 17.5 miles (28 km) of continuous beach. There is one camping area with running water and bathrooms with cold showers; the other camping sites do not have facilities. All food, ice and supplies must be shipped from the mainland, as there are no stores on the island.

Large tracts of the island were purchased for winter retreats during America's Gilded Age. The estates include: