The Bahamas Map

Description: This map shows islands, districts, and major cities and towns in The Bahamas.

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country in the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of more than 700 islands, cays and islets, and about 30 of the islands are inhabited. The archipelago lies southeast of Florida, north of Cuba and Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The capital and largest city is Nassau, on the island of New Providence. The 2022 census recorded a population of about 400,000.

The name is commonly said to come from the Spanish baja mar, meaning "shallow sea," though some scholars suggest it has a Lucayan origin.

Before Europeans arrived, the islands were home to the Lucayans, a branch of the Taíno people who spoke an Arawakan language. In October 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the Americas on an island in the archipelago that the Lucayans called Guanahani. Columbus named it San Salvador. The Spanish later enslaved and deported the Lucayans, mostly to Hispaniola, and by the early 16th century the islands were almost uninhabited. In 1648, English Puritans from Bermuda, known as the Eleutheran Adventurers, settled on Eleuthera. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Nassau became a base for pirates. In 1718 the islands became a British Crown colony, and Woodes Rogers, the first royal governor, suppressed piracy. After the American Revolutionary War, thousands of Loyalists and the people they enslaved moved to the islands. The British Slavery Abolition Act ended slavery there in 1834.

The colony gained internal self-government in the 1960s. After the 1967 general election, Lynden Pindling of the Progressive Liberal Party became the first Black premier. The Bahamas became independent from the United Kingdom on 10 July 1973, and it remains a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Bahamas is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth realm. The British monarch is head of state and is represented locally by a Governor-General. The Prime Minister heads the government. Parliament has two chambers: an elected House of Assembly and an appointed Senate. Since independence, politics has been dominated by two parties, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the Free National Movement (FNM). The country belongs to the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It does not take part in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

The islands are low and flat, and most are made of limestone. The highest point is Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, at about 63 metres (207 ft) above sea level. Andros is the largest island. Its coast is lined by the Andros Barrier Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world. Dean's Blue Hole, near Long Island, is among the deepest known blue holes, at about 202 metres (663 ft). The climate is tropical, with warm temperatures all year and a wet season in summer and autumn. The country is often hit by hurricanes. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian did severe damage to the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama.

The economy depends mainly on tourism, which makes up a large share of GDP and employment, and on financial services. The Bahamian dollar is pegged to the United States dollar at a one-to-one rate. By GDP per capita, The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest countries in the Americas.

English is the official language, and many people speak Bahamian Creole. Most of the population is of African descent. Christianity is the main religion, and Baptists form the largest denomination. The best-known cultural tradition is Junkanoo, a street parade with music and costumes held around Boxing Day and New Year's Day.