The Bahamas known officially as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The Bahamas is a coral-based archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Its 700-plus islands and cays range from uninhabited to packed with resorts. The northernmost, Grand Bahama, and Paradise Island, home to many large-scale hotels, are among the best known. Scuba diving and snorkeling sites include the massive Andros Barrier Reef, Thunderball Grotto (used in James Bond films) and the black-coral gardens off Bimini.
The Bahamas are a group of about 700 islands and cays in the western Atlantic Ocean, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. The largest of the islands is Andros Island, located north of Cuba and 200 kilometres (120 miles) southeast of Florida. The Bimini islands are to its northwest. To the North is the island of Grand Bahama, home to the second-largest city in the country, Freeport. The island of Great Abaco is to its east. In the far south is the island of Great Inagua, the second-largest island in the country. Other notable islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Mayaguana. Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a tropical savannah climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream. The total size is 13,878 km2 (5,358 sq mi). Due to the many widespread islands it has the 41st largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 654,715 km2 (252,787 sq mi).
Key Cities
Key cities in The Bahamas include: Nassau, Lucaya, Freeport, West End, Cooper’s Town, San Andors, and George Town.
Historical, Cultural facts & Religion
The Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants of the Bahamas. Columbus’s first encounter with the New World was on Oct. 12, 1492, when he landed on the Bahamian island of San Salvador. The British first built settlements on the islands in the 17th century. … On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas became an independent nation.
Junkanoo is a large contributor to the music of The Bahamas. It is a type of street carnival which occurs on December 26 (Boxing Day) and New Year’s Day (January 1). This traditional celebration was started with an African slave by the name of John Canoe. Slaves were given a special holiday at Christmas time, when they could leave the work of the plantation behind and celebrate their freedoms.
The parades are characterized by spectacular costumes made of crepe paper and powerful rhythms beaten traditionally on goatskin drums (accompanied more recently with tom-tom drums or bongo drums) as well as rich brass bands and shaking cow bells. Bahamian music also incorporates other Caribbean forms such as calypso, Trinidadian soca and Jamaican reggae
Calypso and Rake ‘n’ Scrape singers and bands such as Baha Men have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and elsewhere. Bahamian music continues to be enjoyed by the Bahamian public, with singers such as the late Ronnie Butler, the late “King” Eric Gibson, K.B, Macklyn, and the Brilanders.
Bahamians are deeply religious and Christianity is the predominant religion practised in the country. However, the Bahamian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression. The Bahamas has three indigenous forms of music and dance: Goombay, Rake ‘n’ Scrape, and Junkanoo.
Brief Country History
The Bahamas was one of the few areas in the region in which the Arawak people were not displaced by the more warlike Caribs. When, in 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landing in the New World in The Bahamas, the people who met him were Arawaks who, he wrote, ‘have opened their hearts to us. We have become great friends.’ Columbus is believed to have landed at Watling’s Island (Amerindian: Guanahani; Columbus’s designation: San Salvador). But within some 20 years, the Spaniards had enslaved or transported the Arawaks; some 40,000 were transported to Hispaniola where they died working in mines. British pirates also used the islands, and in 1629 the islands were given their first constitution as part of the Carolinas (USA). The first British settlers were refugees from religious persecution under Charles I, in Cigatoo in 1648. The island was renamed Eleuthera, meaning freedom. The settlers introduced the plantation economy and African slave labour.
An early form of democratic government, with a bicameral parliament and elected lower house, developed but was abolished in 1717, when the Crown resumed government. Although the other colonial powers did not formally dispute possession, the settlers were at times harassed by the French and Spanish as well as by pirates. Fortunes fluctuated. The population soared in the late 18th century with the arrival from America of Loyalist families and their slaves after the American Revolution. In 1783–84 the population was 4,058; by 1789, it was more than 11,000, with the white settlers forming a significant minority. The abolition of slavery in 1834 caused major economic changes as the islands had been used as a centre of slave-trading.
In 1861–65 the islands enjoyed prosperity as a depot for ships running the blockade against the Confederate States during the American Civil War. Decline followed, however, compounded by a severe hurricane in 1866.
Prosperity returned in the 20th century, when the islands became an entrepot for the American bootlegging trade during prohibition. More conventional industries also developed, supplying sisal, conch shells for cameo brooch-making, pineapples and sponges. The sponge industry reached a peak in 1901 during generally lean years but collapsed in 1939 as a result of fungal diseases. In the early 1950s the islands again prospered; the success of tourism, and later offshore banking, produced phenomenal growth. In 1953, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) was founded to represent black interests in a system till then still dominated by whites.
In 1964, a new constitution set up a ministerial system of government, and the legislature was reformed to represent majority interests. After the subsequent general election in 1967, the United Bahamian Party (the so-called ‘Bay Street Boys’) was forced into opposition for the first time in the assembly’s history. Lynden Pindling, leader of the PLP, formed a government with the support of the Labour Party. The PLP won the next two general elections outright, and Pindling led The Bahamas to independence under a new constitution on 10 July 1973
Language (s) Written & Spoken
English is the official language of the Bahamas and is spoken by a majority of the population. Also, popular languages are Bahamian English and Haitian Creole. Haitian Creole is common among the Haitian population. The two languages recognized in the Bahamas are Standard English, the official language, and a Bahamian Creole which is a unique combination of British English and some African languages.
Important Types of Commerce in The Bahamas
The Bahamas is a country in the Caribbean located in the Lucayan Archipelago. The country is made up of more than 700 islands, islets, and cays within the Atlantic Ocean. The Bahamas is the wealthiest nation in the Caribbean and the 3rd richest country in the Americas. Although the Bahamas is still a developing nation, it has one of the most stable economies in the region and the country had a population of 391,232 people in 2016 while its economy is heavily reliant on offshore banking and tourism. In 2012, the country had a GDP of $11.04 billion and GDP per capita of $31,300. In the same year, it was estimated that the service industry accounted for 90.8% of the GDP while industry accounted for 7.1% of the GDP and agriculture accounted for 2.1% of the country’s GDP. Some of the main industries in the Bahamas include banking, tourism, oil transshipment, cement, pharmaceuticals, salt, aragonite, and rum among others. The population of Bahamas is concentrated mainly in the urban areas particularly in Nassau and Freeport; however, there are traditional small farming and fishing activities in the villages particularly in the south-eastern islands. The Bahamas gross national product per capita is one of the highest in the Caribbean region. Some of the important industries in The Bahamas include:
- Tourism
- Agriculture and Fisheries
- Financial Services
- Manufacturing and Processing
Language Services US and others will provide working with The Bahamas
Doing business with The Bahamas requires an understanding of their local language which is the Bahamas. An individual or business is required to have a Bahamas interpreter accompanying them in The Bahamas for an exhibition, business negotiations, training, conference, medical support or for an excursion to bridge the language gap. Moreover, they also require Bahamas Translation services for translation of important business documents such as sales and marketing literature, copyright, trademark and patent applications, partnership and employment agreements, mergers, acquisitions and incorporations, trusts and wills flawlessly.
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