Bahamas, The

From World travel guide

The Bahamas are an extensive chain of Caribbean islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, USA and to the northeast of Cuba. Some 30 of the islands are inhabited and the country is a major tourist attraction.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 4.4 Electricity 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 Nassau 6.2 Other Islands 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 11.1 Nassau 11.2 Freeport 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links 19 Geography 20 People 21 Government 22 Economy 23 Communications 24 Transportation 25 Transnational Issues

Regions

Administrative divisions 

21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Cities

• Nassau - Capital
• Freeport
• Matthew Town
• Alice Town Bimini

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream. Hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage.

Terrain

Long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills. The highest point is Mount Alvernia (63 m), on Cat Island.

History

Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.

Electricity

Officially 120V 60Hz, which is identical to the U.S. and Canadian standard. Outlets are North American NEMA 5-15 grounded outlets, identical to standard U.S. and Canadian wall outlets. Occasionally non-grounded NEMA 1-15 outlets may be found. Non-grounded outlets do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs. Adapters are available to allow equipment with grounded (three-pin) plugs to plug into non-grounded outlets while avoiding the otherwise necessary step of cutting the grounding pin off of the plug.

Additionally, U.S. and Canadian outlets are polarized. Polarized means that one of the two vertical blades is taller/wider than the other. This is a safety feature which restricts a non-grounded plug from being inserted into an outlet "upside down". Older North American outlets found in much of Central and South America, the Caribbean and other areas may not be polarized. As such, polarized plugs may not fit into non-polarized outlets. To remedy this, the wider vertical blade on a polarized plug may be filed down to match the width of the other. Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet.

Get in

By plane

Residents of the United States can use a United States official Birth Certificate to enter the Bahamas without a passport.

United States Customs is located in the airport, so leave extra time to clear customs when leaving the country.

They used to require visitors to pay a $15 per person departure tax in cash, but now it's included in the cost of the ticket.

By boat

The Bahamas are a popular port of call for cruise ships plying the Caribbean. The capital, Nassau, on New Providence Island is one of the world's busiest cruise ship ports, and is well-served by ships that originate from Florida. Freeport on Grand Bahama Island is a growing destination as well. Furthermore, most of the islands have marinas that serve as a ports of entry for private boats.

Get around

Nassau

The buses in Nassau (called jitneys) are great for tourists because they cost $1 to travel on to most points, and go to most anywhere you would want to go. Routes are posted on the buses' windshields. The only exception is the airport, where buses are not allowed and you have to get a taxi ($25 to downtown). Do note, however, that by 5PM most buses stop operating. Alternatively, rental cars and motorcycles are available at the airport.

Other Islands

Bus travel on the other islands (with the exception of Freeport) is very limited. The best way to go around is to hire a car.

Talk

Languages 

English, Haitian Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Buy

Eat

Ordinary meals can be had for anywhere from $5-$25 a plate. You can find fast-food chains such as KFC or McDonalds, especially in the downtown areas, but as it is a highly touristed country, you can find many nice restaurants serving many different cuisines. Most restaurants serve American or British food, though you can easily find the normal island flair, especially during the Fish Fry during June, where you can usually get a meal for about $8. A 15% service charge is added to the bill at most establishments; additional tips are optional.

Drink

Soda

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This is a tourist town. Soda is pretty pricy, and you will only find it on a soda tap if you are in a good restaurant, otherwise you will usually get it in a can. The cheapest way to get this would be to go to a local "Food Mart."

Beer

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Kalik is the national brewery of the Bahamas and is always served at "all-inclusive" resorts. Kalik is a decent brand, especially given the dearth of options available.

Imported beer is incredibly expensive in the Bahamas, as it is not produced there. Expect to pay about $6.00 a can there, and bottles are almost impossible to find. Don't even expect to find a decent selection.

Hard Liquors

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This is not much of a step up from beer. You have to go out of your way to even FIND wiskey, and when you do, it's expensive, and they only have Jack Daniels. I couldn't even find Brandy, and vodka averaged $15 a bottle... for the cheap stuff.

Rum

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This is by far the best choice of drinks in the Bahamas, it's cheap as you can get ($2-$10 a bottle), tastes great, and it's made fresh by 3 different companys, the largest being the Bacardi Rum factory, which you can take tours of and get free drinks if you go on a 2 HR bus ride.

Sleep

Nassau

• Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and Casino Paradise Island. Tel. 1-800-ATLANTIS in the U.S, +1 (242) 363-3000. The largest, most tourist-oriented hotel in Nassau. Located on Paradise Island, just across the causeway from downtown Nassau. A tourist attraction in itself, with a giant aquarium, a casino, shopping center, marina, water park, not to mention the beach. Often crowded with families on packaged vacations, so the service can be wanting. Very expensive!

• British Colonial Hilton Nassau One Bay Street. Tel: +1 (242) 322-3301 Fax: +1 (242) 302-9010. A hotel catering more to business travellers than package tourists. Occupies a historical landmark (Fort Nassau), and has its own private beach, from which you get a fantastic view of the cruise ships going into, going out of, and at the docks. Step out of the hotel and you're right downtown on Bay Street's shopping attractions.

• Wyndham Nassau Resort & Crystal Palace Casino West Bay Street. Tel. +1 (242) 327-6200. Fax. +1 (242) 327-5227. A tropical paradise waiting to be discovered, just minutes from the Nassau International Airport. Conveniently located near downtown Nassau, shopping centers and other island tourist attractions.

Freeport

• Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort CHURCHILL DRIVE & DOUBLOON ROAD. Tel. +1 (242) 373-4000. Fax. +1 (242) 373-5555. Grand Bahama's only truly all-inclusive resort located on the south coast of Grand Bahama Island. Nestled on 23 acres of prime beachfront property with 1,200 feet of white sandy beaches at your fingertips.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

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Geography

Geographic coordinates 

24 15 N, 76 00 W

Area 

total: 13,940 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Coastline 

3,542 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Natural resources 

salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Land use 

arable land: 0.6%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 99% (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues 

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

People

Population 

300,529
note: estimates for this country explicitly 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 and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 29% (male 43,964; female 43,250)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 95,508; female 98,859)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 7,948; female 11,000) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.86% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

18.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

17.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 69.87 years
female: 73.49 years (2002 est.)
male: 66.32 years

Total fertility rate 

2.28 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

4.13% (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups 

black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions 

Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.2%
male: 98.5%
female: 98% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas

Government type 

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Independence 

10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution 

10 July 1973

Legal system 

based on English common law

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Flag description 

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview 

The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs almost half of the archipelago's labor 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 US, the source of the majority of tourist visitors.

Unemployment rate 

6.9% (2001 est.)

Industries 

tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

Electricity - production 

1.54 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Agriculture - products 

citrus, vegetables; poultry

Exports - commodities 

fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables (1999)

Imports - commodities 

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals (1999)

Currency 

Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code 

BSD

Exchange rates 

Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year 

1 July - 30 June

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

96,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

6,152 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios 

215,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (1997)

Televisions 

67,000 (1997)

Internet Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) 

.bs

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

19 (2000)

Internet users 

16,900 (2002)

Transportation

Highways 

total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1997)

Airports 

67 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 30
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 34 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 3 23 (2002)

Heliports 

1 (2002)

Transnational Issues

Illicit drugs 

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center

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