- Capital: Nassau
- Money: The Bahamian dollar (B $, BSD)
- Time zone: UTC -5
Attractions | Facts | Hotels
Geography The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a country in Central America, located to the southeast of the Florida peninsula (separated from it by the Straits of Florida) and north-east of Cuba (separated by the Old Bahamas Strait). Bahamas are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago stretches from northwest to southeast for 1500 km and includes about 700 islands (29 of which are inhabited), as well as the 2500 coral reefs and rocks. The largest islands are Grand Bahama, Great Abaco (2 thousand), Andros. The area of the country is 13,950 square km.
Islands are peaks of underwater hills, built of coral and reef limestones. Located in shallow waters, known as banks (the largest among them – Most Bahamian bank – 531 km long). From the east (windward) side Islands are surrounded by coral reefs. Along the coasts of most islands are the white sandy beaches. The surface of the island is flat, the maximum height – up to 63 m (Mount Alvernia on the island Cat). Some parts of the eastern shores are steep. Widespread karst phenomena, including underground and underwater caves with water tanks (fresh and salt).
History
In the period preceding the opening of the Bahamas in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, the lands were inhabited by Arawak Indian tribes that have been removed by the conquistadors in the mines of South America, where they soon died out completely.
The first settlers who colonized the Bahamas after the Indians were the Europeans who fled their homelands in search of freedom of conscience and religion on the island of Eleuthera.
Bahamas also were used as a refuge by pirates, and after the American War of Independence and Civil War Royalists came with the slaves. Slaves, in fact, were the ancestors of the majority of today’s population of The Bahamas.
In the 20 th century, the Bahamas became an independent state. In 1946, at the Bahamas has begun “a tourist boom”, which is especially strong in the late 1950′s. The Bahamas became a winter resort of the U.S. and Europe.
Climate
Tropical climate is trade wind in the north and subtropical in the south. Summer temperature varies from +26 to +32 C. In the southern islands (Big and Little Inagua, Mayaguana, and others) in the summer is much warmer than in the central part of the archipelago. The temperature on some days there may be up to 40 C (June to August), but the trade winds considerably soften the heat on throughout the country. Winter temperatures range from +18 to +22 C with minimum temperatures up to +15 C (Little Abaco and the other north-west Islands are).
Precipitation is 800 mm, with faintly marked rainy season from May to October. In winter, the rains are rare, they usually fall in the form of short but powerful showers, lasting no more than several hours. Hurricanes and tropical storms occasionally pass over the islands from May to November, bringing heavy rainfall, accompanied by hurricane winds. The water temperature is typically +27 C in summer and about 23 C in winter.
Population
About 301 thousand people. Over 80% of the population of the islands are natives of the African continent and the mulattos, and 12% have a European origin, and about 3% are immigrants from other Caribbean countries and Asia.
Religion
Distribution of believers in the Bahamas, according to census results for 2000: Baptists – 35.4%, Anglicans – 15.1%, Roman Catholics – 13.5%, Pentecostal – 8.1%, “Church of God”- 4.8%, other Christian – 15.2%, and representatives of other faiths – 3.7%.
The population of the Bahamas is very religious, here are a few Orthodox people, and most are Protestants. So, religion is an integral part of life in the Bahamas. Even in small villages you can find a church, sometimes not even one. Many faiths represented throughout the Bahamian islands, find their origins in the rich history of this land, which is eloquent testimony to the wealth of the spiritual life of the islanders.
Religious fervor of the people and strong ties in education are evidence of their Puritan heritage, derived by the Lutheran Researchers.
Cuisine
Wherever you have visited, and no matter what tried, but Bahamian cuisine is truly a national as well as many borrowed from the Caribbean, American, British, European and African cuisine, but all the recipes they have adapted to local conditions and opportunities, which in the aggregate and is of Bahamian cuisine.
National food of Bahamians are meals from the marine snail called “Conch” from which prepare anything – snacks, hot dishes, salads and soups.
Chowder “Conch” is prepared with tomatoes, potatoes, sweet peppers, onions, carrots, bacon, bay leaf, thyme and pepper. Sometimes it is added poultry. “Conch” fried in the form of balls, served with spicy sauce and garnished with sweet peppers, onions and tomato paste. Salad “Conch” is made from marinated in special sauce, shellfish, mixed with diced paprika and chopped onions.
The most expensive food in the Bahamas is a spiny lobster. Lobster fishing is from April to August. Well-cooked lobster on-Bahamian can be ordered in a restaurant Graycliff in Nassau. Preparing it with curry sauce, lemon sauce and fresh coconut pulp, along with other ingredients.
Dishes from the sea bass prepared in various ways, including steamed, served with a flavorful Creole sauce or white wine sauce, mushrooms, onions and thyme. Popular baked fish and baked crab. Menu of meals from seafood is very diverse.
Local meat meals are prepared mainly of chicken, lamb and mutton. Other types of meat imported from them, are usually willing to cook the Europeans and Americans.
National food is a dish of peas and rice. Preparing it from the local varieties of peas, bacon, tomatoes, celery, rice, thyme, green pepper, onion, pepper and salt. Bahamians are added to his hot sauce.
An integral part of Bahamian table are buns jonnycakes. Fishermen take such rolls in the sea and kept them in a drawer with hot sand so as not to cool down. For a long time in the Bahamas most popular meal was turtle soup and other meals from the meat, while “stocks” of turtles on the island have not been exhausted.
Most exotic dessert in the Bahamas is considered pudding guava. Cook it quite time consuming, so it is manufactured only for special guests.
For dessert, Bahamas offer a wide selection of tropical fruits, including melon, pineapple, passion fruit, mango and papaya. Papaya do a variety of food and drink Bahama Mama, she is also part of marmalade Goombay, along with pineapple and green ginger. Drinks on the Bahamas as part of an almost always involve rum. Along with the Bahama Mama popular Yellow Bird and Goombay Smash.
Safety
There are some minor crimes like theft in hotel rooms and pickpocketing still at Bahamas. Tourists on walks to Nassau after dark, should take normal precautions and avoid visiting the suburbs.
Bahamas laws regarding drug more strict than even in North America or Europe, and for the sale or use of narcotic drugs is quite possible to get a long prison term.
At the Bahamas is prohibited spearfishing using underwater guns and other devices for fishing.
Bahamian Visa
A visa to the Bahamas is issued from the British embassy. Necessary documents: passport (must be valid for at least 6 months after returning from a trip and have the blank pages), two photographs of 3,5 × 4,5 cm on a bright background without the oval form prescribed by the Embassy of the sample certificate of employment on the letterhead of the company, documents certifying solvency tourist (bank statements, receipts, salary, etc., or a letter of guarantee from a person or organization paying for the tour). If a traveler has a new passport, he must provide the previous one, but if the previous passport is absent, the applicant may have to be interviewed. Spouses must submit a copy of marriage certificate.
Pensioners, unemployed, students, and students must provide: proof of employment rights, financing their trip, and copy of pension card or student ID (school – a certificate from the school).
If a child under the age of 18, goes on a trip with a parent or accompanied by a third person, you need notarized consent from parent (s) to leave the child with this guide. The document should include: a country where the trip is planned, the duration of the power of attorney (no more than three months). Also need a photocopy of all pages of the internal passport of the principal (the parent or parents) and a copy of birth certificate.
Term visas is about three weeks. Leaving all travelers under the age of 6 years old is also charged airport tax 15 USD.
Additional
The Bahamas are famous for their conditions for scuba diving. Many local dive areas are considered the best in the world, and 4,023 km of ocean coastline, dotted with underwater caves and blue holes can offer all possible types of dives.
Shopping
Prices on the main islands are comparable to those in the U.S., but usually the cost of food and transportation services are significantly higher due to the fact that the goods and fuel are mostly imported. The country has eliminated all duties on import and export of perfumes, leather goods, jewelry, watches, photographic equipment, china and so on. Therefore, prices for those goods is lower than in the U.S. by 25-50%. And in many areas, having the status of free trade areas, their value has a 15 percent lower, so the Bahamas are considered one of the best areas for shopping in the central Atlantic.
Bahamas Map
