Bahamas or Commonwealth of the Bahamas, country (4,403 sq mi/11,404 sq km; 1990 population 255,056; 2004 population 299,697), in the Atlantic Ocean.
Geography
It consists of some 700 islands and islets and about 2,400 cays, beginning c.50 mi/80 km off SE Florida and extending c.600 mi/966 km SE almost to Haiti; 24°00'N 76°00'W. The country does not include the Turks and Caicos Islands, to the SE, which, although geographically part of the archipelago, have been separately administered by Great Britain since 1848. Until 1973, when they became independent, the Bahamas were administered as a British crown colony. The capital and principal city is Nassau, on New Providence Island. Other chief islands, known as the “out islands” or “family islands,” are Grand Bahama, Great and Little Abaco (see Abaco and Cays), the Biminis, Andros, Eleuthera, Cat Island, San Salvador, Great and Little Exuma (Exuma and Cays), Long Island, Crooked Island, Acklins Island, Mayaguana, Mariguana, and Great and Little Inagua. The islands, composed mainly of limestone and coral, rise from a vast submarine plateau. Most of them are generally low, flat, and riverless, with many mangrove swamps, brackish lakes (connected with the ocean by underground passages), and coral reefs and shoals. Fresh water is obtained from rainfall and from desalinization. Navigation is hazardous, and many of the outer islands are uninhabited and undeveloped, although steps have been taken to improve transportation facilities. Hurricanes occasionally cause severe damage, but the climate is generally excellent.
Population
The country’s population is primarily black and mulatto. English is the official language. The Bahamas have a relatively low illiteracy rate (95.6% of the population can read). The government provides free education through the secondary level; the College of the Bahamas was established in 1974, although most Bahamans study in Jamaica or elsewhere.
Economy
The islands’ vivid subtropical atmosphere—brilliant sky and sea, lush vegetation, flocks of bright-feathered birds, and submarine gardens where multicolored fish swim among white, rose, yellow, and purple coral—as well as rich local color and folklore, has made the Bahamas one of the most popular resorts in the hemisphere. The islands’ many casinos are an additional attraction. Tourism, which has grown rapidly since the end of World War II, is by far the country’s most important industry. Declining tourism in the late 1980s did serious damage to the country’s economy. Offshore banking has also become important. Crawfish, rum, cement, salt, hormones, and aragonite are among the chief exports. The Bahamas also possesses facilities for petroleum transshipment.
History to 1950
The Bahamas were inhabited by the Lucayos, a group of Arawaks, before the arrival of the Europeans. Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World in the Bahamas (1492), presumably at San Salvador, and claimed the islands for Spain. Although the Lucayos were not hostile, they were soon exterminated by the Spanish, who did not in fact colonize the islands. The first settlements were made in the mid–17th century by the English. In 1670 the islands were granted to the lords proprietors of Carolina, who did not relinquish their claim until 1787, although Woodes Rogers, the first royal governor, was appointed in 1717. Under Rogers the pirates and buccaneers (notably Blackbeard) who frequented Bahamian waters were driven off. The Spanish attacked the islands several times, and an American force held Nassau for a short time in 1776. After the American Revolution many Loyalists settled in the Bahamas, bringing with them slaves to labor on cotton plantations. In 1781 the Spanish captured Nassau and took possession of the whole colony, but under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1783) the islands were ceded to Great Britain. Plantation life gradually died out after the emancipation of slaves in 1834. Blockade-running into Southern ports in the U.S. Civil War enriched some of the islanders, and during the Prohibition era in the U.S. the Bahamas became a base for rum-running.
History 1950 to Present
The U.S. leased areas for bases in the Bahamas in World War II and in 1950 signed an agreement with Great Britain for the establishment of a proving ground and a tracking station for guided missiles. In 1955 a free trade area was established at the town of Freeport. It proved enormously successful in stimulating tourism and has attracted offshore banking. In the 1950s black Bahamians, through the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), began to oppose successfully the ruling white-controlled United Bahamian Party; but it was not until the 1967 elections that they were able to win control of the government. The Bahamas were granted limited self-government in 1964, broadened (1969) through the efforts of Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling, who served in office for 25 years. The PLP, campaigning on a platform of immediate independence, won an overwhelming victory in the 1972 elections and negotiations with Britain were begun. On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas became a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations. Since the 1960s, the transport of illegal narcotic drugs has been a problem, as has an unprecedented flow of illegal refugees from other islands. The economy is weak, mostly due to a decrease in tourism and the poor management of state-owned industries. As part of a plan for structural reform for shaping future patterns of development, privatization was begun in the early- to mid-1990s with janitorial and messenger services; other hotel, transport, and telecommunications services were to follow.
Government
The Bahamas are governed by the constitution of 1973 and have a parliamentary form of government. There is a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Assembly. The prime minister is the head of government, and the monarch of the U.K., represented by an appointed governor-general, is the titular head of state. Queen Elizabeth is represented by the Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont. The head of government is Prime Minister Perry Christie.
