Martha's Vineyard

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Martha's Vineyard was first settled by the English in 1642. They engaged in farming, brick-making, salt production and fishing. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Martha's Vineyard was an important commercial center, where most people were involved in whaling and fishing. In the late 1800's, the island, with its harbors, beaches and scenic attractions, started developing into a summer resort. Nowadays, tourism is a major source of income.

Martha's Vineyard is divided into the towns of Chilmark, Edgartown, Gay Head, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury. Large parts of the island's interior are protected as a state forest. In the late 1980's, the small Wampanoag tribe, which is based in Martha's Vineyard, took legal action to reclaim ancestral land in Gay Head.

Martha's Vineyard measures 260 km² (100 sq miles). It is separated from the Elizabeth Islands and Cape Cod by the Vineyard and Nantucket sounds. As a result of glaciation, Martha's Vineyard has moraine hills that are composed of boulders and clay deposits in the north, while low, sandy plains dominate in the south.

There are many hotels and restaurants on Martha's Vineyard. The island is in the southeast of Massachusetts, about 110 km south of Boston and 580 km northeast of Washington D.C.