   #copyright

The Bahamas

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

                       Commonwealth of The Bahamas

   Flag of The Bahamas Coat of arms of The Bahamas
   Flag                Coat of arms
   Motto: Forward Upward Onward Together
   Anthem: March On, Bahamaland
   Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
   Location of The Bahamas
   Capital
   (and largest city)  Nassau
                       25°4′N 77°20′W
   Official languages  English
   Government          Commonwealth
    - Monarch          Elizabeth II
    - Governor-General Arthur Dion Hanna
    - Prime Minister   Perry Christie
      Independence
    - From Britain     July 10, 1973
                                   Area
    - Total            13,878 km² ( 160th)
                       5,358 sq mi
    - Water (%)        28%
                                Population
    - 2005 estimate    323,000^1 ( 177th)
    - 1990 census      254,685
    - Density          23.27/km² ( 181st)
                       60/sq mi
       GDP ( PPP)      2005 estimate
    - Total            $6.524 billion ( 145th)
    - Per capita       $20,076 ( 34th)
       HDI  (2003)     0.832 (high) ( 50th)
        Currency       Dollar ( BSD)
        Time zone      EST ( UTC−5)
    - Summer ( DST)    EDT ( UTC−4)
      Internet TLD     .bs
      Calling code     + 1-242
   ^1 Estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess
   mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher
   infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and
   changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
   otherwise be expected.

   The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is an independent English-speaking
   nation in the West Indies. An archipelago of 700 islands and cays, the
   Bahamas is located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida and the
   United States, north of Cuba and the Caribbean, and northwest of the
   British dependency of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

History

   Although Paleo-Indians may have populated the area previously, Taino
   Indians from Hispaniola and Cuba moved into the southern Bahamas around
   the 7th century AD and became the Lucayans. There were an estimated
   40,000 Lucayans at the time of Columbus' arrival.

   Christopher Columbus' first landfall in the New World was on the island
   of San Salvador, also called Watling's Island, in the south part of
   Bahamas. Here, Columbus made contact with the Lucayans and exchanged
   goods with them.

   The Bahamian Lucayans were taken to Hispaniola as slaves, and in two
   decades, many Lucayan societies ceased to exist, as the population
   endured considerable forced labour, warfare, disease, emigration and
   outmarriage.

   After the Lucayan population was decimated, the Bahamian islands were
   virtually unoccupied until the English settlers came from Bermuda in
   1650. The so-called Eleutherian Adventurers established settlements on
   the island Eleuthera.

   The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718. Some 8,000 loyalists
   and their slaves moved to the Bahamas in the late 1700s from New York,
   Florida and the Carolinas.

   The British made the islands internal self-government in 1964 and, in
   1973, Bahamians got full independence while staying a member of the
   Commonwealth of Nations. Since the 1950s, the Bahamian economy has
   prospered based on the twin pillars of tourism and financial services.
   Despite this however the country still faces significant challenges in
   areas such as education, healthcare, correctional facilities and
   violent crime and illegal immigration. The urban renewal project has
   been launched in recent years to help impoverished urban areas in
   social decline in the main islands. Today, the country enjoys the third
   highest per capita income in the western hemisphere.

   Some say the name 'Bahamas' derives from the Spanish for "shallow sea",
   baja mar. Others trace it to the Lucayan word for Grand Bahama Island,
   ba-ha-ma ("large upper middle land").

Geography and climate

   The island of Abaco is to its east. The most southeastern island is
   Inagua. Other notable islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, San
   Salvador, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana. Nassau is the
   capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a
   subtropical climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream.

   In the southeast, the Caicos Islands and the Turks islands, and three
   more extensive submarine features called Mouchoir Bank, Silver Bank,
   and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation of the Bahamas, but
   not part of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

   The climate of the Bahamas is subtropical to tropical, and is moderated
   significantly by the waters of the Gulf Stream, particularly in winter.
   Conversely, this often proves very dangerous in the summer and autumn,
   when hurricanes pass near or through the islands. Hurricane Andrew hit
   the northern islands in 1992, and Hurricane Floyd hit most of the
   islands in 1999. Hurricane Frances of 2004 was expected to be the worst
   ever for the islands. Also in 2004, the northern Bahamas were hit by a
   less potent Hurricane Jeanne. In 2005 the northern islands were once
   again struck this time by Hurricane Wilma. Tidal surges and high winds
   destroyed homes, schools, floated graves and made roughly 1,000 people
   homeless. The homeless people were stuck without food, water and
   resources and were left to depend on the government.

Government and politics

   The Bahamas is an independent country and member of the Commonwealth of
   Nations. Political and legal traditions closely follow those of the
   United Kingdom.

   The Queen of the United Kingdom is the ceremonial head of state,
   represented by a Bahamian governor-general. Prime Minister is the head
   of government and is the leader of the party with the most seats in the
   elected House of Assembly. The upper house - or Senate - is appointed.
   Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Legislative power is
   vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament.

   The party system is dominated by the centre-left Progressive Liberal
   Party and the centre-right Free National Movement. A handful of
   splinter parties have been unable to win election to parliament,
   despite a feeling among many Bahamians that both the FNM and the PLP
   are strikingly similar in their approach. These parties include the
   Bahamas Democratic Movement, the Coalition for Democratic Reform and
   the Bahamian Nationalist Party.

   Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship,
   movement, and association. The Bahamas is a member of the Caribbean
   Community. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the
   legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

Economy

   The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily
   dependent on tourism and offshore banking. The Bahamas is generally
   reckoned to be one of the leading offshore financial centres.

   Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or
   indirectly employs almost half of the labour force. Steady growth in
   tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and
   residences have led to solid GDP growth in recent years.

   Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth
   of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at
   those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily
   on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the
   United States, the source of the majority of tourist visitors.

   The unemployment rate has fallen to 7.6% in 2006, from 10.2% in 2005
   primarily due to the construction of several large resort developments
   throughout the country. In the two most populated islands in The
   Bahamas, unemployement fell from 10.9 percent to 6.6 percent in New
   Providence, and from 11 percent to 8.4 percent in Grand Bahama. The
   estimated poverty rate in 2004 was 9.3%.

   In addition, the average household income has increased to $43,420 from
   $38,894 in 2005.

   The Bahamian and United States dollars are both distributed on a 1:1
   exchange.

Demographics of the Bahamas

   The Bahamian population is from approximately 85% African descendency,
   followed by 12% Caucasian descendency. Other minorities include Asians
   and Hispanics at 3%. Many Bahamian Caucasians are concentrated on Abaco
   Island, Spanish Wells, Harbour Island, Long Island, and the Montagu Bay
   district of New Providence (just to the east of Nassau). There are also
   a significant number of non-citizen Caucasian expatriates from the
   United States and Europe.

   The official language is English, spoken by nearly all inhabitants,
   though many speak a patois form of it Bahamian Creole Dialect not to be
   confused with Haitian Creole spoken by a considerable number of
   immigrants. Spanish and Portuguese are also spoken by immigrant groups.

   A strongly religious country, there are more places of worship per
   person in the Bahamas than any other nation in the world. The islands
   are overwhelming Protestant Christian (over 80%). Baptists form the
   largest denomination (about one third), followed by the Anglican and
   Roman Catholic churches.

   A few people, especially in the southern and eastern islands, practice
   Obeah, a spiritistic religion similar to Voodoo. While well-known
   throughout the Bahamas, Obeah is shunned by many people. Voodoo is
   practiced, but almost exclusively by the large number of immigrants
   from Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

Culture and sports

   Bahamian culture is a hybrid of African and European influences.
   Perhaps its most famous expression is a rhythmic form of music called
   junkanoo. Aside from Junkanoo, other indigenous forms of music include
   rake and scrape, calypso, and a unique form of hymnal, known
   internationally through the music of the late Joseph Spence. Marching
   bands are also an important part of life, playing at funerals, weddings
   and other ceremonial events.

   In the less developed out islands - more often called "family islands"
   - crafts include basketry made from palm fronds. This material,
   commonly called "straw", is also plaited into hats and bags that are
   popular tourist items today.

   Regattas are important social events in many family island settlements.
   They usually feature one or more days of sailing by old-fashioned work
   boats, as well as an onshore festival.

   Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or
   food of that area, such as the "Pineapple Fest" in Gregory Town,
   Eleuthera or the "Crab Fest" on Andros. Other significant traditions
   include story telling and the practice of Obeah.

   There is no real national sport in the Bahamas. Although British sports
   like cricket, soccer and Rugby are still popular, American influences
   are stronger today as can be seen from the popularity of basketball,
   softball and American football. There are several world class Bahamian
   track and field athletes.

   The Bahamas have won Olympic gold medals in sailing (Sir Durwood
   Knowles and Cecile Cooke - 1964), and track and field (Tonique
   Williams-Darling - 2004, and women's relay team - 2000).

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bahamas"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
