The Bahamas

The Bahamas is a group of islands.

They are in the warm sea near Florida. People speak English. The capital city is Nassau.

The Bahamas is an archipelago, a group of islands, on the northwestern edge of the West Indies. It has nearly 700 islands and cays, plus more than 2,000 bare rocks, but people live on only about 30 islands. Grand Bahama is only about 100 kilometers from Florida.

English is the language of the islands, and the capital, Nassau, is on New Providence Island. About two out of every three Bahamians live on that one island. The 2022 census counted about 398,000 people.

Britannica describes The Bahamas as an archipelago of nearly 700 islands and cays and more than 2,000 low, barren rocks, about 30 islands inhabited, stretching more than 800 km southeast from Grand Bahama, about 100 km off Florida, to Great Inagua, some 80 km from Cuba. Its position commands the gateways to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Bahamas National Statistical Institute's 2022 census counted 398,165 people, 191,667 male and 206,498 female, up from 351,461 in 2010. The name is of Lucayan Taíno (Arawakan) origin, though some historians derive it from Spanish bajamar, 'shallow water'. The currency is the Bahamian dollar.

Nassau is the capital city.

The photo shows homes by the water. Andros is the biggest island. Cat Island has the highest hill.

Nassau, on New Providence, is the capital and a center of tourism and banking. The photo shows homes on Paradise Island, next to Nassau. Grand Bahama has the towns of Freeport and West End.

The other islands are often called the Out Islands. Andros is the biggest island, with lots of fresh water. Eleuthera is where some of the first English settlers came. Cat Island has the highest point, and San Salvador is where Columbus is widely thought to have landed.

About two-thirds of Bahamians live on New Providence; with Grand Bahama (Freeport and West End) and Abaco it has drawn most internal migration from fishing and farming villages. Nassau, first settled as Charles Towne in 1660, was renamed for William III's family holding in Germany.

Andros, about 6,000 km², is the largest island and has abundant fresh water. Other islands include Abaco (963 km²), Eleuthera (484 km²), site of an early colonization attempt, Cat Island with Mount Alvernia, and San Salvador and Great Inagua, which have large lakes. Main settlements usually grew where there was a natural harbor or easy access for ships.

The islands are low and flat.

They are made of rock from old coral and shells. The tallest hill is only 63 meters high. It is warm all year.

The islands of The Bahamas are made of limestone, a rock formed from the skeletons of coral and other sea creatures. They are low and flat: the highest point, Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, is only 63 meters high. There are no rivers, but some islands have big lakes.

The weather is mild all year, from about 21 °C in winter to about 27 °C in summer. Most rain falls in summer, and hurricanes can come between June and November. Forests of Caribbean pine grow on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros and New Providence.

Beneath their soils the islands are limestone and the skeletal remains of coral and other marine organisms; particles become cemented toward the interior to form Bahama limestone. Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, 63 m, is the highest point. There are no rivers, though New Providence, San Salvador and Great Inagua have large lakes and Andros has abundant fresh water.

Mean temperatures run from about 21 °C in winter to 27 °C in summer, rarely below 16 °C or above 32 °C, with about 1,120 mm of rain a year, mostly in summer; northeast winds in winter and southeast winds in summer cool a humid atmosphere. Hurricanes threaten from June to November; in early September 2019 Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 storm, devastated Abaco and Grand Bahama. Caribbean pine forests cover parts of four islands.

The pink flamingo is the national bird.

Iguanas and lizards live on the islands. Bats sleep in caves by the sea. Conch and lobsters live in the water.

The flamingo is the national bird of The Bahamas. On land there are frogs, lizards and snakes, none of them poisonous, plus iguanas, raccoons and a rodent called the agouti. Several kinds of bats live in caves along the rocky coasts.

The surrounding sea is full of fish, along with conch, a big sea snail, and spiny lobster, which are important foods. Fishing boats bring in lobster, grouper and conch. The flamingo in the photo lives at a wetland center in England.

Britannica notes that land animals are dominated by frogs, lizards and nonpoisonous snakes, with several bat species in caves along the rockier coasts; larger animals include the agouti, raccoon, iguana and the flamingo, the national bird, all much reduced in numbers and distribution. Sheep, horses and other livestock were introduced from Europe.

The surrounding waters abound with fish and edible marine animals such as conch and spiny lobster, and the small fishing industry's catch is dominated by spiny lobster, grouper and conch. Caribbean pine forests on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros and New Providence, and hardwood forests grow on some islands. The flamingo photo is from Slimbridge, England.

Junkanoo is a big street party with drums and costumes.

People eat conch and peas and rice. Many islands have sailing races.

Most Bahamians have African ancestors, and some families descend from English settlers or from people who came from the United States after the American Revolution. English is spoken everywhere, and some people from Haiti also speak Haitian Creole.

Junkanoo is the leading festival: on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, groups parade through Nassau in bright costumes to goatskin drums, cowbells and whistles. Peas and rice, cracked conch and fried fish are national dishes, and almost every island holds a sailing regatta or fishing contest each year.

Most Bahamians are of African descent, with minorities of mixed European and African heritage and of descendants of English pioneers and loyalist refugees from the American Revolution. English is the only language native to Bahamians; French and Haitian Creole are spoken among Haitian immigrants. Most people belong to Christian churches, mainly non-Anglican Protestant.

Junkanoo 'rush outs' on Boxing Day and New Year's Day feature goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and horns, with prizes for costumes, music and theme. Ring dances and quadrilles survive, and people dance to goombay (rake and scrape), calypso and soca. National dishes include peas and rice, cracked conch, conch salad and fried fish. Cricket and football are followed widely, and regattas are held on almost every inhabited island. Schooling is compulsory from 5 to 16.