BAY ISLANDS, a group of small islands in the Caribbean sea off the north coast of Honduras, now a part of the national territory of Honduras but for a time (1852-59) under the British flag. The total population is (1930) 5,48o, of whom 3,34o live in the town of Roatan or Coxin's Hole, which is the capital of the Honduran department of Islas de la Bahia. The chief industries are agricultural, bananas and pineapples being shipped to New Orleans and some coconuts being grown for the preparation of copra. There is still some lumber-cutting, and wild game, includ ing peccaries and deer, abound. The largest of the islands is Roatan, 3om. long by 9m. wide, the next in size being Guanaja (or Bonacca), 9m. long by sm. broad. The other islands in the archipelago are Utilla, Barbareta, Helena and Morat. The Puercos or Hog islands, a part of the group, include several small islands, and there are a number of cays or islets. The soil is fertile, the forests luxuriant and the highest point in the archipelago is about 9ooft. above the sea, in the hills of Roatan. The island of Guanaja was discovered by Columbus in 1502 and the islands were popu lated in the 17th century by British and the "Carib Indians" brought from the mainland by the British to cut logs. The inhabi tants are for the most part descendants of these woodcutters, the estimated number of aborigines on the islands being some 5o0, out of the total of 5,480. The inhabitants erected forts in Roatan in 1742, and the islands were formally annexed to Great Britain in 1 85 2, to be ceded to Honduras seven years later.