The Bahamas

Understand

The name of the country is said to be derived from the Spanish words "baha mar" or shallow water. Before 1973, the islands were officially the Bahama Islands although often dubbed the Bahamas. The country's name was formally changed when the country gained Independence from the United Kingdom. The people of the Bahamas are Bahamians. While the country's name is pronounce "buh-HA-muss", a person from the Bahamas is called "buh-HAYm-yun" (Bahamian).

History

Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World in 1492 on the island of San Salvador; see Voyages of Columbus. For years, San Salvador was thought to be the island known today as Cat Island. But Watling Island was thought to more closely resembled Columbus' descriptions and in 1926 the island was renamed. However, it has since been argued that based on the logs, his landfall may have been on Samara Cay. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. The Bahamas were also infamous as a pirate nest with some even trying to form a pirate Republic. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, the Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its location, the country is also a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the U.S., and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the U.S.

Culture The official language spoken in the Bahamas is English. The populace is predictably friendly and more religious than one might expect: the Bahamas have one of the highest ratios of churches per capita in the world, with Baptists being the largest single group. Bahamians often talk about the country being a "Christian nation", however,

See

Lucayan National Park and Port Lucaya in Freeport Dolphin Cay on Paradise Island The Thunderball Grotto in Exuma Flamingos, iguanas and other tropical wildlife. Fort Fincastle, the Old Town and the Pirate museum in Nassau

Do

Diving: The "shallow seas" of the Bahamas lie over extensive submerged limestone platforms, with high points here and there just breaking the surface to form an archipelago. The climate is good for diving year-round, and hurricanes seldom strike. All the inhabited islands have local diving, and some have extensive inland cave systems. Nassau on New Providence is the base for liveaboard cruises.

Buy

Money

The local currency is the Bahamian dollar (B$, BSD), but it is tied to the US dollar at a 1:1 ratio and US dollars are accepted everywhere at par. There is thus no need for Americans to change money, and many tourist-oriented businesses will even give change back in US$. Keep an eye out for the famous (but now rare) three-dollar note and 15-cent coin, both made to ease the 1966 transition from British pounds to dollars, $3 being roughly equivalent to £1 and $0.15 approximating a shilling at the time. Coins of the Bahamas are issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 15 and 25 cents. Banknotes of the Bahamas are issued in denominations of 50 cents (B$1⁄2), 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Bahamian dollars.

Shopping There is very little made in the Bahamas, but some luxury goods can be purchased at a bargain. Salespeople in the straw market have a very direct but often humorous manner of negotiating the

Getting there

Entry requirements

Foreign nationals of the following countries/territories do not require a visa to visit the Bahamas: American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China (People's Republic), Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gambia, Galapagos Islands, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR passport or CI), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Republic), Kuwait, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norfolk Islands, North Macedonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Marten, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Tanzania, Tokelau, Trinidad & Tobago, Tonga, Turkey, Turks and

Getting around

By plane Bahamasair offers a comprehensive network radiating out from Nassau and covering most population centers. However, fares are expensive, frequencies are low, planes are small and the airline is notorious for extensive delays, and many travellers in a hurry opt to charter planes instead. Western air offer flights to a number of destinations within the country, often more frequent and punctual for the destinations they serve and offering relatively flexible ticketing.

By bus Nassau/New Providence have a system of buses called jitneys, discussed in the Nassau article. Bus travel on the other islands (with the exception of Grand Bahama) is very limited.

By boat and yacht The best way to see the Bahamas is by private yacht or sailboat. If you don't have that option, there are some limited public transit options:

Mail boats serve almost all populated islands in the Bahamas, and are amongst the cheapest way to reach many areas, though be warned that many passengers find them slow and not very comfortable. They generally run from Nassau to each island once per week, but are notoriously unreliable, and can be delayed for days at a time. The government apparently no longer has an official online schedule of the mail boat routes. For up-to-date information call the Nassau Dockmaster's Office, or better, ask locally about the specific route you need. Two of the major companies are The Mailboat Company and Munson Shipping. Bahamas Ferries runs between several of the major islands. It's known for being a bit more expensive but much more reliable than mail boats. Pinder's Ferry Service runs between Freeport and the Abacos twice daily (round trip $100). Windward Islands[1] - [2], a yacht charter company, can take care of all charter requirements, from bareboat to cre