Bahamas: islands of beaches, sun and sea

The Bahamas Islands (The Commonwealth of the Bahamas) are a constitutional monarchy associated with the British Commonwealth. The archipelago is located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida, north of Cuba, and west of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ISLAND ARCHIPELAGO

The Bahamas are made up of around 700 islands, of which around thirty are the most important islands. Among these we find Andros which is the largest island in the archipelago with a surface area of 5,955 sq km. Then there are the islands of Abaco, Little Abaco, Grand Bahama, Great Exuma, Great Inagua, Long Island, Mayaguana, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Islands and San Salvador.

The capital of the Bahamas is Nassau, on the island of New Providence. Over half of the population of the archipelago lives on this island. The Bahamas islands are flat. In fact, the highest point is reached by Mount Alvernia (63 meters) on Cat Island. The main resource of the islands, thanks to the subtropical climate and the splendid beaches, is tourism.

Other important resources, thanks to favorable tax laws, are also the merchant navy, one of the most important in the world, and financial activities, the country is home to numerous banks. Agricultural products include sugar cane, tomatoes, pineapples, sisal and coconut palms. The islands are an important tourist destination because of the beautiful beaches of fine white sand that characterize them and the warm and crystalline sea that surrounds them.

The climate of the Bahamas islands.

• Area: 13,939 sqkm. (Arable 1%, Pastures 0%, Forests and Woodlands 32%, Uncultivated and Unproductive 67%)
• Population: 385,000 (agg. 2019) (Africans 72%, Mulattos (descendants of European and African) 14%, Europeans 12%, Asian 2%).
• State Capital: Nassau.
• Language: Official language is English.
• Religion: Protestant 76% (Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%); Roman Catholic 19%.
• Currency: Bahamas Dollar (BSD)
• Time: UTC -5 hours (Summer UTC-4 hours).