Back in 1492. the great navigator Christopher Columbus discovered the Bahamas. At that time they were inhabited by the Arawak Indians. However, the Spaniards took them out and used them as labor. Until the 17th century, the islands were deserted, only pirates found this place an excellent hiding place. In 1787 The Bahamas became a British colony. Black slaves were brought here. For three centuries, the territory was wholly owned by the British Empire. In 1964, the Bahamas received internal self-government. On July 10, 1973, the independence of the Bahamas was proclaimed as part of the Commonwealth, led by Great Britain. The Bahamas is a member of a number of international organizations: the UN, the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community.
Religion in Bahamas
Protestants predominate among believers, including Baptists, Anglicans, Methodists, approx. 19% – Roman Catholics, part of the population adheres to African cults.
Transport in Bahamas
In the capital of the Bahamas – Nassau – a fixed-route taxi runs. You can rent a car, motorcycle, scooter and even a bicycle. To rent a vehicle (except a bicycle), you must have a driver’s license with you. Driving experience must be at least one year, and the age of the driver must be at least 21 years. Driving on the islands is on the left. Ferries and boats run between the islands.
Plant and Animal World in Bahamas
The islands are dominated by tropical vegetation. There are red and iron trees, colorful orchids and jasmine.
The Bahamas are famous for their beautiful flamingo birds. Many reptiles live here. Coastal waters are full of various species of fish. Turtles lay their eggs here.
Minerals in Bahamas
The Bahamas has the world’s largest deposit of aragonite.
Banks in Bahamas
Banks are open throughout the working week: from Monday to Thursday until 15:00, on Friday until 17:00.
Money in Bahamas
The official currency is the Bahamian dollar. It is equal in value to the US dollar.
1 Bahamian dollar = 100 cents. Banknotes in denominations of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 dollars and coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 cents and 1, 2 and 5 dollars are in circulation.
It is better to change currency in banks. It is advisable to take American dollars with you on your trip, they have free circulation here.
Rate: 10 Bahamian Dollar (BSD) = 9.02 USD
Political State in Bahamas
On July 10, 1973, the independence of the Bahamas was proclaimed as part of the Commonwealth, led by Great Britain. Under the 1973 constitution, the head of state is the Queen of Great Britain, who is represented by the Governor General. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral parliament, consisting of the Senate and the House of Assembly. According to politicsezine, the head of government is the prime minister, usually the leader of the party with the majority in parliament.
Population in Bahamas
In 2003, 297.48 thousand people lived in the Bahamas, more than half of them in New Providence. The main part of the Bahamian nation is blacks and mulattos, which make up more than 3/4 of the total population. There are diasporas of immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica and from the Turks and Caicos Islands. The proportion of Europeans and North Americans is small. This is mainly a contingent of elderly wealthy citizens from the USA, Canada, Great Britain who settled in the Bahamas after retirement.
Language:
The official language of the Bahamas is English. It is spoken by almost the entire population of the country.
Cuisine in Bahamas
Most of the menu of Bahamian cuisine is occupied by dishes from all kinds of seafood. Of the first courses, sea bass stew, gourmet turtle soup, conch clam stew are in demand. In general, both first courses and salads, pates, appetizers and main courses are prepared from the conch mollusk. There are even conkburgers. Another inhabitant of the sea, whose meat is widely used in Bahamian cuisine, is the spiny lobster. Dishes from it are not cheap.
But the local menu is famous not only for sea delicacies. They love a dish of peas and rice with spicy sauce here. From the cuisines of other countries, chefs borrowed dishes from various types of meat.
A local delicacy is guava pudding. This is a favorite dessert. There is also a wide selection of fruits.
Of the drinks, rum is the most popular. All kinds of cocktails are made from it.
