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Capital Nassau
24°4? N 77°20? W Largest city Nassau Official language(s) English From the United Kingdom
July 10, 1973 Area
• Total
• Water (%)
301,7901 (168th)
254,685
21/km˛ (152)
54.4/mi˛ 2005 estimate
5729 (147)
17,865 (41) 0.832 (50th) – high Currency Time zone
• Summer (DST) EST (UTC?5)
EDT (UTC?4) Internet TLD .bs Calling code +1-242 |
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Bahamas Information
Main article: Geography of the Bahamas
 Map of the Bahamas
The largest island is Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a subtropical climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream.
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Main article: Districts of the Bahamas
The districts of the Bahamas provide a system of local government everywhere in the Bahamas except New Providence, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government. The current system dates from 1996 when 23 districts were defined — a further 8 were added in 1999.
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Main article: Demographics of the Bahamas
Most of the Bahamian population is black (85%); about 12% is white. The official language is English, spoken by nearly all inhabitants, though many speak a "patois" form of it. A small number of immigrants also speak Creole, Spanish and Portuguese
A heavily religious country, there are more places of worship per person in the Bahamas than any other nation in the world. Christianity is the main religion on the islands, with Baptists forming the largest denomination (about one third), followed by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.
A few people, especially in the southern and eastern islands, practice Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
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General history
Albury, Paul. The Story of The Bahamas. London: MacMillan Caribbean, 1975.
Miller, Hubert W. "The Colonization of the Bahamas, 1647-1670," The William and Mary Quarterly 2 no.1 (Jan 1945): 33-46.
Craton, Michael. A History of the Bahamas. London: Collins, 1962.
Craton, Michael and Saunders, Gail. Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992.
Economic history
Johnson, Howard. The Bahamas in Slavery and Freedom. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishing, 1991.
Johnson, Howard. The Bahamas from Slavery to Servitude, 1783-1933. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1996.
Storr, Virgil H. Enterprising Slaves and Master Pirates: Understanding Economic Life in the Bahamas. New York: Peter Lang, 2004.
Social history
Johnson, Wittington B. Race Relations in the Bahamas, 1784-1834: The Nonviolent Transformation from a Slave to a Free Society. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2000.
Shirley, Paul. "Tek Force Wid Force," History Today 54, no. 41 (April 2004): 30-35.
Saunders, Gail. The Social Life in the Bahamas 1880s-1920s. Nassau: Media Publishing, 1996.
Saunders, Gail. Bahamas Society After Emancipation. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishing, 1990.
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