Cheap Cruises To The Bahamas

The Bahamas

Bahamas quick facts:
Formal name: The Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Political status: Independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations
(formerly known as the British Commonwealth)
Capital: Nassau
Area: 5,358 square miles, of which 28% is water
Population: 323,000 individuals (in 2005)
Official language: English
Other main languages: Haitian Creole, Spanish and Portuguese
Currency: Bahamian Dollar (BSD)
Calling code: +1-242

Bahamas geography

Bahamas consists of over 700 islands and islets scattered in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean. When you are vacationing in the Bahamas, you will have Florida to the west, Cuba to the south and the Turks and Caicos Islands to the southeast. It is common for cruises to the Bahamas to leave from ports in Florida, but you can find cruise lines that sail from a wide range of other cities as well. The Biminis islands of Bahamas are located no further than 50 miles from the Floridian east coast, which makes Bahamas much closer to the U.S. mainland than any Caribbean destination. The Bahamas is famous for its delightful weather conditions; a subtropical climate moderate by the Gulf Stream.

Bahamas history

The earliest known inhabitants of Bahamas were the Taino Indians who migrated from north-western Hispaniola and north-eastern Cuba and settled in the southern parts of the Bahamas at some point during the 7th century AD. These people are known as the Lucayans. By the 12th century AD, all major Bahamian islands were populated by Lucayans.

Christopher Columbus�s first step on American land is believed to have occurred on the Bahamian island of San Salvador in 1492. The first encounters between the Europeans and the native inhabitants were friendly and gifts were exchanged, but later on all Lucayans were deported to Hispaniola as slaves. The Bahamian islands remained without any inhabitants until an English group known as the Eleutherian Adventures moved to Bahamas from Bermuda in 1650 and settled on the island of Eleuthera.

Bahamas economy

The economy of Bahamas rests on two twin pillars � tourism and financial services. Bahamas have a comparatively long tradition of being a tourist paradise as well as a major provider of offshore banking services and its economy has prospered since the 1950�s. In recent years, urban renewal projects have been launched to promote a higher standard of living in less affluent parts of the country. Nearly 50 percent of the labour force depends on tourism in one way or another.

Bahamas � more than just sunny beaches

No more than 23 of the islands that make up Bahamas are inhabited. The largest island is the Andros Island, but the largest city � Nassau � is located on a much smaller island called New Providence. The second largest city is named Freeport and is found in the island of Grand Bahama. The city of Nassau was once a haven for pirates and you can today visit 18th-century fortresses here and walk among Victorian mansions that bear vivid witness of historical glory. Don�t miss the cathedrals and the Queen's Staircase whose 66 steps provide you with a spectacular view of the surroundings.

the bahamas