Bahamas or Commonwealth of the Bahamas, country (4,403 sq mi/11,404 sq km; 1990 pop. 255,056), in the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of some 700 isls. and islets and about 2,400 cays, beginning c.50 mi/80 km off SE Florida and extending c.600 mi/966 km SE almost to Haiti; 24°00'N 76°00'W. The country does not include the Turks and Caicos Isls., to the SE, which, although geographically part of the archipelago, have been separately administered by Great Britain since 1848. Until 1973, when they became independent, the Bahamas were administered as a Br. crown colony. The capital and principal city is Nassau, on New Providence Island. Other chief isls., known as the “out islands” or “family islands,” are Grand Bahama (1990 pop. 40,898), Great and Little Abaco (see Abaco and Cays), the Biminis, Andros, Eleuthera, Cat Isl., San Salvador, Great and Little Exuma (Exuma and Cays), Long Isl., Crooked Island, Acklins Isl., Mayaguana, Mariguana, and Great and Little Inagua. The isls., composed mainly of limestone and coral, rise from a vast submarine plateau. Most of them are generally low, flat, and riverless, with many mangrove swamps, brackish lakes (connected with the ocean by underground passages), and coral reefs and shoals. Fresh water is obtained from rainfall and from desalinization. Navigation is hazardous, and many of the outer isls. are uninhabited and undeveloped, although steps have been taken to improve transportation facilities. Hurricanes occasionally cause severe damage, but the climate is generally excellent. The isls.’ vivid subtropical atmosphere—brilliant sky and sea, lush vegetation, flocks of bright-feathered birds, and submarine gardens where multicolored fish swim among white, rose, yellow, and purple coral—as well as rich local color and folklore, has made the Bahamas one of the most popular resorts in the hemisphere. The isls.’ many casinos are an additional attraction. Tourism, which has grown rapidly since the end of World War II, is by far the country’s most important industry. Declining tourism in the late 1980s did serious damage to the country’s economy. Offshore banking has also become important. Crawfish, rum, cement, salt, hormones, and aragonite are among the chief exports. The Bahamas also possesses facilities for petroleum transshipment. The country’s pop. is primarily black and mulatto. English is the official language. The Bahamas have a relatively low illiteracy rate. The govt. provides free education through the secondary level; the Col. of the Bahamas was est. in 1974, although most Bahamans study in Jamaica or elsewhere. The Bahamas are governed by the constitution of 1973 and have a parliamentary form of govt. There is a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Assembly. The prime minister is the head of govt., and the monarch of the U.K., represented by an appointed governor-general, is the titular head of state. The Bahamas were inhabited by the Lucayos, a group of Arawaks, before the arrival of the Europeans. Christopher Columbus 1st set foot in the New World in the Bahamas (1492), presumably at San Salvador, and claimed the isls. for Spain. Although the Lucayos were not hostile, they were soon exterminated by the Spanish, who did not in fact colonize the isls. The 1st settlements were made in the mid–17th cent. by the English. In 1670 the isls. were granted to the lords proprietors of Carolina, who did not relinquish their claim until 1787, although Woodes Rogers, the 1st royal governor, was appointed in 1717. Under Rogers the pirates and buccaneers (notably Blackbeard) who frequented Bahamian waters were driven off. The Spanish attacked the isls. several times, and an Amer. force held Nassau for a short time in 1776. After the Amer. Revolution many Loyalists settled in the Bahamas, bringing with them slaves to labor on cotton plantations. In 1781 the Spanish captured Nassau and took possession of the whole colony, but under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1783) the isls. were ceded to Great Britain. Plantation life gradually died out after the emancipation of slaves in 1834. Blockade-running into Southern ports in the U.S. Civil War enriched some of the islanders, and during the Prohibition era in the U.S. the Bahamas became a base for rum-running. The U.S. leased areas for bases in the Bahamas in World War II and in 1950 signed an agreement with Great Britain for the est. of a proving ground and a tracking station for guided missiles. In 1955 a free trade area was established at the town of Freeport. It proved enormously successful in stimulating tourism and has attracted offshore banking. In the 1950s black Bahamians, through the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), began to oppose successfully the ruling white-controlled United Bahamian Party; but it was not until the 1967 elections that they were able to win control of the govt. The Bahamas were granted limited self-govt. in 1964, broadened (1969) through the efforts of Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling, who served in office for 25 years. The PLP, campaigning on a platform of immediate independence, won an overwhelming victory in the 1972 elections and negotiations with Britain were begun. On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas became a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations. Since the 1960s, the transport of illegal narcotic drugs has been a problem, as has an unprecedented flow of illegal refugees from other isls. The economy is weak, mostly due to a decrease in tourism and the poor management of state-owned industries. As part of a plan for structural reform for shaping future patterns of development, privatization was begun in the early- to mid-1990s with janitorial and messenger services; other hotel, transport, and telecommunications services were to follow.
