Bahamas Facts

The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a 750-mile-long chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,500 small, limestone-formed islets or cays. This Atlantic Ocean archipelago stretches from the northwest island of Bimini through 100,000 square miles of some of the most pristine waters in the world to its most southeastern island, Inagua. Bimini lies within 50 miles of the coast of South Florida and Inagua within 50 miles of the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic).

About 30 of the islands of the Bahamas are inhabited. The nation’s most populated areas are Nassau, the capital, located on New Providence Island, and Freeport on Grand Bahama. The other inhabited islets or cays are collectively called the “Family Islands” or “Out Islands”.

* The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
* The Bahamas Real Estate Association
* Find all Bahamian telephone numbers: Telephone Directories

Capital: Nassau, New Providence
Language: English
Population: 333,800 in 2007 9est)
Currency: $1 Bahamian = $1 US
Est. land mass: 5,382 sq miles

Political Status
Independent Nation
Parliamentary Democracy
Member of the British Commonwealth Head of State: British Sovereign (represented by the Governor General)

Government:
Two-chamber British-style Parliament
Head of Parliament: Prime Minister
Lower Chamber: House of Assembly (elected)
Upper Chamber: Senate (appointed)

Weather: Want to find out what the weather is like here in The Bahamas? Check out:
* A Western Hemisphere globe image from the Weather Channel
* Current weather reports