General Facts About The Bahamas:

• The Bahamas consists of around 30 uninhabited islands and a chain of more than 700 islands lying in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Of all 700+ islands that make up the Bahamas, Andros is the largest one.
• New Providence is the most populated sibling in the family that is home to around 70% of the country’s total population. However, Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas with a quarter million residents.
• The Bahamian dollar is the official currency of the Bahamas. However, the US dollar is also accepted in quite a lot of places.
• The Bahamas is visited by around 5 million tourists annually, 70% of them reaching the island nation on cruise ships.
• Aragonite, timber, and salt are the three main natural resources in the Bahamas.
• Although English is the official language in the Bahamas, a mixture of African, English, and island slang, called Bahamian English, is also widely spoken.
• The national colours of the Bahamas are black, yellow, and aquamarine, while the national symbols are the yellow elder flower, the blue marlin, and the flamingo.
• Around 75% of the Bahamas population live on New Providence island.
• 95% of the Bahamians are Christians.

Festivals and Events

The most celebrated festival in the Bahamas is the Junkanoo. It is a national celebration that involves lots of dancing, singing, colourful performances, parades, and dance competitions that take place through the streets of Nassau between late December through the first of next month. The Conch Cracking Festival, Bahamas International Film Festival, New Year’s Day Sailing Regatta, Farmer’s Cay Festival, Bahamas Billfish Championship, and the Long Island Regatta are some of the most popular events in the Bahamas, of the many that take place every single month!

Landmarks and Attractions

The entire Bahamas has a remarkably rich colonial heritage that is highlighted in its lively capital, Nassau. So, expect to find plenty of colourful buildings around popular sites, such as the Price George Wharf and Parliament Square, and an old-world charm swirling in the air. Among the must-visit historic landmarks are the beautiful Versailles Gardens, the Cloisters, and three iconic forts. One of them, namely Fort Fincastle, is also home to Queen’s Staircase, one of the most visited places in the Bahamas.

Besides its architectural marvels and sites of historical significance, the Bahamas enchants with its spectacular beaches, such as cruising Cable Beach (Nassau), unique Pink Sands Beach (Harbour Island), cosmopolitan Cabbage Beach (Paradise Island), paradisal Treasure Cay Beach (Abacos), and scenic Cape Santa Maria Beach (Long Island). Plus, Atlantis, probably the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, located at Paradise Island featuring from impressive coral formations and 14 adorable lagoons to picturesque caves and breath-taking aquatic ruins that house exotic marine life counting over 250 marine species and 50,000 aquatic animals, such as eels, piranha, endangered alligator gar, and rays.

What is also extraordinary about the Bahamas is the presence of more than 180 Blue Holes, a fantastic range of flooded underwater caves found both in the ocean and inland with a rich blue hue. In fact, the second deepest blue hole on earth is right here, on Long Island! Dean’s Blue Hole is one of the most widely-known free diving sites.

The Bahamas is Also Known for:

• Being home to the third largest reef in the world (around Andros Island).
• Its national bird, the flamingo, with around 370 bird species, including 6 endemic species, recorded in the island nation.
• Having some of the best diving and snorkelling sites in the globe, including Deadman’s Reef (Grand Bahama), Shark Reef (Long Island), Bimini Road (Bimini), and Rose Island Reefs (New Providence).
• Its chain of 365 islands, is called the Exumas. One of them, Big Major Cay, welcomes visitors with swimming pigs! You can find them at Pig Beach.
• Its rich marine life, as the ocean surrounding the Bahamas, is where hawksbill turtles, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, and manta rays, among many others, live.

Weather

The Bahamas enjoy a tropical climate, which means it greets visitors with warm weather almost year-round, and two main seasons – a hot and wet period between June and October, when the temperatures are between 17-29oC (63-85oF), and a dry, warm, and winter-free season between November through May, when the temperatures are between 23-32oC (73-82oF). The colder months are May, June, July, August, and September. As for the water temperatures, these range between 23-28oC (73-82oF), which makes the sea feel pretty warm for swimming throughout the year!

Interesting Facts About the Bahamas:

• Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, was named after King William III, who originated from the House of Orange-Nassau and was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland until 1702.
• The original name of Nassau is Charles Town, a name it got in 1665 to honour King Charles II.
• The very first inhabitants of the Bahamas were the Lucayan people, who were living on the Bahamas islands way before Columbus reached Guanahani (now named San Salvador) in 1492.
• The first Puritan colony was established in 1648 by the first English settlers of the Bahamas.
• The Bahamas was once a pirate republic, with world-famous pirate Blackbeard (Edward Teach) elected Nassau Magistrate - a title he possessed until 1718 when King George I dissolved the republic.
• The Bahamas gained its independence in 1973.

Local Gastronomy

The Bahamas hosts a delightful mix of several different cultures and cuisines. The main food supply is seafood, which is why conch is the national Bahamas dish that is served in many different ways, from stews and soups to fritters. However, its most popular variation is cracked conch, where conch is battered and deep fried, and conch chowder, a seafood soup with tomato as the co-star. Other popular fish species are grouper and snapper, which are found in many local recipes and are usually paired with rice or vegetables.

Did You Know That…

The Bahamas imports around 80% of its food supply? However, its main agricultural products are bananas, dates, grapefruits, mangoes, cassava, sugar cane, and vegetables. As for its name, it originates from a Spanish word that means “Shallow Sea Waters” (“Baja Mar”).