Commonwealth of The Bahamas | |
---|---|
Motto: | |
Anthem: | |
Capital and largest city | Nassau 25°4′N 77°20′W / 25.067°N 77.333°W |
Official languages | English |
Ethnic groups (2010) | 90.6% Afro-Bahamian 4.7% European 2.1% Mulatto 1.9% Other 0.7% Unspecified |
Religion |
|
Demonym(s) | Bahamian |
Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
Dame Cynthia A. Pratt | |
Philip Davis | |
Legislature | Parliament |
Senate | |
House of Assembly | |
Independence | |
• from the United Kingdom | 10 July 1973 |
Area | |
• Total | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (155th) |
• Water (%) | 28% |
Population | |
• 2016 estimate | 391,232 (177th) |
• 2010 census | 351,461 |
• Density | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). (181st) |
GDP (PPP) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $12.612 billion (148th) |
• Per capita | $33,494 (40th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2018 estimate |
• Total | $12.803 billion (130th) |
• Per capita | $34,102 (26th) |
HDI (2019) | 0.814 very high · 58th |
Currency | Bahamian dollar (BSD) (US dollars widely accepted) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Driving side | left |
Calling code | +1 242 |
ISO 3166 code | BS |
Internet TLD | .bs |
The Bahamas (officially called Commonwealth of The Bahamas) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. The country's capital, Nassau, is on New Providence Island.
The Taino were the first people living there. In 1492, Christopher Columbus found the Americas by landing on another of the islands, San Salvador. The Eleutheran Adventurers soon came along, making a home in Eleuthera.
The islands' mostly black population speaks English, the country's main language.