Bahamas: The island paradise in the Caribbean

Created: 2022-02-18, 2:48 p.m

Aerial view of Elbow Cay off Abaco Island, Bahamas © Larry Malvin / IMAGO

The Bahamas are an archipelago in the Atlantic and are part of the West Indies.

While the main islands such as Grand Bahama or Paradise Island are among the tourist strongholds, most of the smaller islands and cays are partly uninhabited. 

• The

  Bahamas

  consists of more than 700 islands and cays.

• The archipelago got its name from the Spanish conquerors.

• They belong to the

  Commonwealth of Nations

  , in which the British royal family is the head of state.

Nassau

- Endless sandy beaches, salt lagoons and turquoise sea.

The

are very popular with tourists because of the attractive landscape.

But the almost 14,000 square meter archipelago, which already served as a shelter for

the notorious pirate

and the dubious tax policy of the Caribbean state cloud the picture of the picturesque island paradise.

Bahamas: Pre-Columbian and Colonial Periods

Archaeologists discovered from fish settlements of an unknown people that the first traces of human life in the

date back to the 4th century.

The early settlement probably came from

.

Between the 9th and 10th centuries, the

tribe settled here from the Lesser Antilles – probably to escape from the Caribs.

On October 12, 1492

reached the island of

.

Believing to have discovered India, the natives called Indians.

He baptized the island itself

and the archipelago

- the Spanish term for "flat sea".

From this name also the later designation "

" developed.

Almost all of the natives (about 40,000 Lucayans), whom Columbus described as peaceful, fell victim to Spanish enslavement and deportation in the years that followed.

Bahamas: Piracy and British Crown Colony

Since

the archipelago was economically uninteresting for

claimed the archipelago in the 17th century.

English settlers established the first colonies

under

But the

were also the perfect hideaway for pirates for their raids on the Spanish trade route - among them was Edward Teach, who went down in history as the notorious

.

A veritable privateer empire was established from

, which only ended in 1717 with the establishment of a British crown colony in the

under Admiral

.

Rogers was appointed Crown Governor and gave the

their own parliament in 1729.

Although order returned to the country after piracy ended, the archipelago was still economically heavily influenced by smuggling well into the 20th century.

In addition, the

(1775-1783), the

(1861-1865) and

(1919-1932) ensured a flourishing trade in smuggled goods.

Bahamas: Independence in the 20th Century

It was not until the middle of the 20th century that tourism as an important economic factor steadily increased, with the moneyed aristocracy in particular discovering paradise for themselves.

While

the Bahamas was still subordinate to the

, liberal parties increasingly made their way to power in the 1950s.

In 1964,

granted the

constitutional reform for internal self-government.

The

finally gained independence on July 10, 1973.

Nevertheless, they remained in the

.

In the 1990s, politicians had to struggle with high unemployment and allegations of corruption.

were blacklisted by the

in 2000

because the island state was classified as anti-competitive due to its tax policy .

In September 2019, the archipelago was

severely devastated by

The

and

were particularly hard hit.

There were numerous deaths and about 5,500 people had to go to

to be evacuated.

Bahamas: The Political System

Since gaining independence in 1973, the

has been a sovereign state and a member of the

.

The head of state is the monarch of the

.

This in turn is represented by the Governor General.

The form of state and government thus form a parliamentary monarchy.

The head of government is in turn the prime minister, who is appointed by the ruling party.

The basis is the

.

The ruling party is determined by parliamentary elections every five years.

Parliament itself consists of two chambers: the Senate and the

.

The latter is also elected by the people every five years according to the first-past-the-post system.

Bahamas: facts at a glance

• Capital: Nassau

• Official language: English

• Area: 13,939 square kilometers

• Population: 389,000 (as of 2019)

• Currency: Bahamian Dollar (BSD)

• Administrative divisions: 31 local government districts and New Providence

• Religion: largely Christian

Bahamas: Population and Languages

In the Bahamas, people of African descent make up 85 percent of the island's population.

The remaining 15 percent are of European, Asian and Latino descent.

The population itself is relatively young.

About 26 percent of the residents are under 15 years old, just 6 percent are older than 65 years.

The average life expectancy is about 72 years for men and 79 years for women.

Population growth is steadily declining.

In addition,

is not an insignificant issue in the Caribbean country.

In 2009, a good 3 percent of the 15-49 year old population was living with

.

The official language is

.

In addition,

is also spoken - but mainly by the immigrants from

.

Immigration skyrocketed after the 2010 earthquake.

In 2017, about 15.6 percent of the population were immigrants.

Bahamas: Geography, Islands and Cities

Although the

are in the open

, they are assigned to the

.

They extend along the southeast coast of the

, the northeast coast of

, to the northwest coast of the

.

The north-south extension of the archipelago is about 650 kilometers, the west-east width is about 750 kilometers.

Up to 700 islands and more than 2,400 coral reefs determine the geological picture of the islands.

In some places, only a few centimeters deep inlet separates two islands from each other.

The highest point in the

is

on

at 63 meters (200 ft) .

The largest island by area is

.

The most important islands of the Bahamas at a glance

• Abaco: 1,681 km², 16,692 inhabitants

• Acklins: 497 km², 560 inhabitants

• Andros: 5,957 km², 7,386 inhabitants

• Berry Islands: 31 km², 798 inhabitants

• Bimini: 23 km², 2,008 inhabitants

• Cat Island: 388 km², 1,503 inhabitants

• Crooked Island and Long Cay: 241 km², 323 inhabitants

• Eleuthera: 484 km², 7,826 inhabitants

• Exuma: 290 km², 3,571 inhabitants

• Grand Bahama: 1,373 km², 51,756 inhabitants

• Harbor Island: 8 km², 1,702 inhabitants

• Inagua: 1,544 km², 911 inhabitants

• Long Island: 596 km², 3,024 inhabitants

• Mayaguana: 285 km², 271 inhabitants

• New Providence: 207 km², 248,948 inhabitants

• Ragged Island: 36 km², 70 inhabitants

• Rum Cay: 78 km², 99 inhabitants

• San Salvador: 163 km², 930 inhabitants

The major cities of the Bahamas form the

and

.

More than three quarters of the population live here. 

Bahamas: Interesting facts about the country

The

are attractive as a year-round travel destination due to the temperate subtropical climate.

However, since tropical storms can occur from June to October, the island paradise is very popular with tourists in the winter months.

Divers and snorkelers in particular get their money's worth here with the numerous cays.

The number one excursion destination is the

.

Those who prefer to stay on land can stretch their legs on

at the

(an idyllic monastery) with its picturesque gardens (Versailles Gardens).

In addition, the Clifton Heritage National Park, the Abaco Archipelago, the Inagua National Park and the mangrove swamps are scenic highlights.

Many tourists often

combine a trip to the

.

Cruises departing from

to the southern islands are also particularly popular.

Tourism now generates 50 percent of the gross domestic product.

The

should also be of interest to film lovers.

After all, they have also served as a backdrop for several

films.

Among other things, the picturesque beaches and the capital

never

used as film locations for

,

and Sag

.

The island state itself has just one television station (ZNS TV).