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The Bahamas Bahamas, officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, independent country, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in the West Indies. The Bahamas comprise an archipelago of about 700 islands and islets and nearly 2,400 cays (pronounced “keys”) and rocks, extending for about 800 km (about 500 mi) from a point southeast of Palm Beach, Florida, to a point off the eastern tip of Cuba. The Biminis, the westernmost of the group, are about 97 km (about 60 mi) east of Miami, Florida. About 30 of the islands are inhabited. New Providence is economically the most important of the group and contains more than half of the Bahamas’ total population. The other chief islands, all of which are low-lying, include Acklins, Andros, Cat, Crooked, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Great Inagua, Harbour, Long, Mayaguana, and San Salvador (Watling). The area of the country is 13,939 sq km (5,382 sq mi). Nassau, Bahamas The capital and largest city of the Bahamas, Nassau thrives on an abundant tourist trade. Nassau welcomes visitors to attractions such as scenic beaches, luxury resorts, a warm climate, and historic buildings. A British colony from 1717 until 1973, the Bahamas retains aspects of its colonial heritage, including Fort Fincastle (1793). Folk Guitar of the Bahamas Andros is one of the primary islands in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and is populated largely by the descendants of Bahamian slaves, many of whom are Catholic and deeply religious. Religious singing and instrumental music are an important part of life on the island. The most important instrument in this area is the guitar, played with the fingers using extended rhythmic and melodic variations. The population of The Bahamas (2001 estimate) is 297,852; about 85 percent of the population is black. The country’s capital is Nassau (population, 1997, 172,000), on New Providence. The only other large town is Freeport (26,574), on Grand Bahama. Maps of the Bahamas
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History of the Bahamas In 1492 Christopher Columbus made his first landing in the New World in the Bahamas, on an island then inhabited by Arawak people. He named the island San Salvador; some scientists now believe it to be Samana Cay. The first permanent European inhabitants were not the Spanish, however, but the British, who settled Eleuthera and New Providence in 1647. During its early years the settlement was repeatedly attacked by the Spanish. The islands were later the stronghold of buccaneers and pirates, notably the infamous Blackbeard. The Bahamas were ruled by the proprietary governors of the British colony of Carolina from 1670 to 1717, when the British crown assumed direct control of civilian and military affairs. In 1776, during the American Revolution, Nassau was held for a short time by American naval forces, and Spain held the islands in 1782 and 1783; they became a British colony in 1787. After slavery was abolished in 1833, the result was a decline in both the economy and the population. An epidemic of cholera in the middle of the century further reduced the population. Prosperity returned temporarily during the American Civil War (1861-1865), when the islands became a station for Confederate blockade-runners, and again during Prohibition (1920-1933), when rum-runners found them a convenient base. When he returned to Spain in the spring of 1493, after making his first voyage to America, Christopher Columbus made this report to his sponsors, King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella of Spain. Columbus, who some historians regard as boastful and self-serving, gives a glowing description of the islands he discovered: perfect for colonization and rich with gold and other metals. He described the inhabitants as friendly, resourceful, and timid. The king and queen had promised Columbus governorship of lands he discovered and sent him back in the fall with 1500 men and 17 ships. Columbus’s four journeys paved the way to the New World, although he himself always insisted he had explored the East Indies. In 1964 Britain granted the Bahamas internal autonomy. Some friction thereafter developed between white- and black-dominated political parties until the black Progressive Liberal party (PLP) won control of the government in general elections in 1967. Its leader, Lynden O. Pindling, then became prime minister. Independence was achieved on July 10, 1973. Pindling held power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but chronic unemployment and allegations of government corruption eventually eroded his support. In August 1992 the Free National Movement won parliamentary elections, and Hubert Ingraham became prime minister. Ingraham and his party were reelected in March 1997. BahamaCruises have become on of the most popular ways to visit the islands of the Bahamas. Information about the Bahamas | |||||||||
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Economy
of the Bahamas Possessing a pleasant subtropical climate and splendid beaches, the Bahamas are one of the most popular year-round resorts in the Western Hemisphere, visited in 1998 by 1.59 million tourists. Tourism plays a central role in the country’s economy. Because of favorable tax laws, the Bahamas have become an international banking center. Industrial activity is limited; it includes the transshipment and refining of petroleum and the production of steel pipe, pharmaceuticals, salt, rum, and shellfish. The unit of currency is the Bahamian dollar (1 Bahamian dollar equals U.S.$1). Looking for information about Bahamas? Our favorite site for this information is Bahamas. If you are looking for specialist for Bahamas Cruises, find us by clicking on the "Bahamas Cruises Link Below" Bahamas Cruises - Cruises from agents specializing in Cruises to Bahamas. Listing of Bahamas ports, cruise destinations and related information about the people of Bahamas. If you are looking for Cruises to Bahamas from Carnival Cruise Lines, this is their homepage - Click Here. | |||||||||
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