 Located in the lower left-hand corner of the
Atlantic Ocean is an area approx. 70,000 square miles comprised of
shoals and banks, where the waters are crystal clear and warm. These are
called the 'Bahama Banks'. Located
there are approx. 700 islands with
inviting beaches. This is The Bahamas. Some of these islands are large
-- Abaco, Andros, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and Long Island.
On the administrative level there are 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked
Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's
Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay,
Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nicholls Town and
Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and
Rum Cay
For many tourists who visit The Islands of the Bahamas it means
Nassau and Freeport. These are certainly very exciting
destinations, but there is much more to discover in the Islands of the
Bahamas-there are about 698 more islands and cays! These other islands
are called the 'Family Islands'.
Visitors who are searching for unspoiled beauty and quiet will find it
in the Family Islands. These islands offer miles and miles of unexplored
beaches, caves and cays which allow for the best scuba diving, fishing
and sailing. The people of the Family Islands are well-known for their
warmth and friendliness. Tourists are treated like family.
 The historic city of
Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, is
a 35-minute flight from Miami. Nassau is located on the north side of
New Providence, which is 21 miles long and 7 miles wide at its largest
point. It is the commercial and banking hub of the Bahamas. Cable Beach,
just west of the city has a string of luxury resorts. The area offers
fine dining, non-stop casinos, impressive shows, dance clubs and plenty
of duty-free shopping. Paradise Island is located just 600 feet off the
north shore of Nassau and is connected to New Providence Island by a
toll bridge. Nassau is one of the largest cruise ship ports in the
world, it can presently dock eleven cruise ships at one time. A short
walk takes you to the Straw Market and Bay Street which is the main
shopping area.
The Siboney, Meso-Indians, who migrated into the Greater Antilles, were
probably The Bahamas' original inhabitants. Christopher Columbus made
his first landing in the New World at San Salvador, a small island in
the east central part of The Bahamas chain on October 12, 1492. The
Spaniards named this part of the New World Bajar Mar (shallow seas).
When Columbus purportedly 'discovered' the islands, he found Lucayans
and called them Indians. They were in fact related to the neo-Indian
Arawaks in the larger Caribbean Islands and practising a Tainan culture.
The Lucayans, as the Arawaks came to
be known in The Bahamas, had no written language - only a spoken one.
Eager to find gold, conquistadors followed Columbus. During this time,
the Lucayans were wiped out by enslavement, disease and other hardships.
 By the mid 1660's the area was periodically besieged by
pirates. For almost forty years these
pirates raided Spanish galleys and the Spaniard's fury erupted in 1695
when troops invaded and destroyed Charles Town on the island of New
Providence. The city was soon rebuilt and named Nassau. In 1718, King
George I appointed Captain Woodes Rogers the first Royal Governor of The
Bahamas. Rogers was ordered to eradicate the pirates and he did so with
vigour. During the American Revolutionary War, Nassau capitulated
to the Spaniards for the last time. In 1783, The Bahamas was restored to
Great Britain by treaty. Following the American Revolution, thousands of
British Loyalists emigrated to The Bahamas, many bringing their black
slaves with them. The Emancipation Act was designed to come into force
on August 1, 1834, bringing freedom to the slaves, however it did not
immediately give the slaves complete freedom. The ex-slaves did not
become fully free until August 1, 1838 after an apprenticeship period
which effected the transition between slavery and freedom..
In 1964 Great Britain granted the Bahamas
internal autonomy. The Black Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
won control of the government in general elections in 1967.Since
attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered
through tourism and international banking and investment management. By
the early 1980s, the islands had become a major center for drug
trafficking, particularly shipments to the US.
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