The Bahamas

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29

islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets (rocks).

The official language of the Bahamas is English because their dialect and their idioms were
influenced by African slaves, English Puritans and other settlers. Although, you might hear
Bahamian English. Its a mixture of Queens diction, African influence and island dialect. The h
is often dropped, so it sounds like ouse for house or tanks for thanks.
It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and
Haiti),nearest to the state of Florida. Its total land area is 13,939 km2 with an estimated
population of 330,000.
Originally inhabited by the Lucayans, The Bahamas were the site of Columbus' first landfall in
the New World in 1492. Although the Spanish never colonized The Bahamas, they shipped the
native Lucayans to slavery in Hispaniola. The islands were mostly deserted from 1513 to 1648,
when British colonists from Bermuda settled on the island of Eleuthera.
The Bahamas became a Crown Colony in 1718 when the British clamped down on piracy.
Following the American War of Independence, thousands of pro-British loyalists and enslaved
Africans moved to The Bahamas and set up a plantation economy. The slave trade was
abolished in the British Empire in 1807 and many Africans liberated from slave ships by the
Royal Navy were settled in The Bahamas during the 19th century. Slavery itself was abolished
in 1834 and the descendants of enslaved and liberated Africans form the bulk of The Bahamas's
population today.

20th century
Modern political development began after the Second World War. The first political parties
were formed in the 1950s and the British made the islands internally self-governing in 1964, with
Sir Roland Symonette of the United Bahamian Party as the first premier.
In 1967, Sir Lynden Pindling of the Progressive Liberal Party became the first black premier of
the colony, and in 1968 the title was changed to prime minister. In 1973, The Bahamas became
fully independent, but retained membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Sir Milo Butler
was appointed the first Bahamian governor-general (the representative of Queen Elizabeth II)
shortly after independence.
Based on the twin pillars of tourism and offshore finance, the Bahamian economy has prospered

since the 1950s. However, there remain significant challenges in areas such as education,
health care, housing, international narcotics trafficking and illegal immigration from Haiti.

Geography and climate

The country lies between latitudes 20 and 28N, and longitudes 72 and 80W.
The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which is also known as the gateway to The
Bahamas. The island of Abaco is to the east of Grand Bahama. The southeasternmost island is
Inagua. The largest island is Andros Island. Other inhabited islands include Eleuthera, Cat
Island, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana.
Nassau, capital city of The Bahamas, lies on the island of New Providence.
All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m (49 to
66 ft). The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia, formerly called Como Hill, which has
an altitude of 63 metres (207 ft) on Cat Island.
The climate of The Bahamas is subtropical to tropical, and is moderated significantly by the
waters of the Gulf Stream, particularly in winter.

National symbols
The colours embodied in the design of the Bahamian flag symbolise the image and
aspirations of the people of The Bahamas; the design reflects aspects of the natural
environment (sun, sand, and sea) and the economic and social development. The flag is a black
equilateral triangle against the mast, superimposed on a horizontal background made up of two
colours on three equal stripes of aquamarine, gold and aquamarine.
The symbolism of the flag is as follows: Black, a strong colour, represents the vigour and force
of a united people, the triangle pointing towards the body of the flag represents the enterprise
and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and possess the rich resources of sun
and sea symbolized by gold and aquamarine respectively. In reference to the representation of
the people with the colour black, some white Bahamians have joked that they are represented in
the thread which "holds it all together."

The yellow elder was chosen as the national flower of The Bahamas because it is native to
the Bahama Islands, and it blooms throughout the year.They reasoned that other flowers grown
there such as the bougainvillea, hibiscus, and poinciana had already been chosen as the
national flowers of other countries. The yellow elder, on the other hand, was unclaimed by other
countries (although it is now also the national flower of the United States Virgin Islands).

Culture
In the less developed outer islands, handicrafts include basketry made from palm fronds.
This material, commonly called "straw", is plaited into hats and bags that are popular tourist
items. Another use is for so-called "Voodoo dolls," even though such dolls are the result of the
American imagination and not based on historic fact.
Although not practised by native Bahamians, a form of folk magic obeah derived from West
African origins, is practiced in some Family Islands (out-islands) of The Bahamas due to Haitian
migration. The practice of obeah is however illegal in The Bahamas and punishable by law.
Junkanoo is a traditional African street parade of music, dance, and art held in Nassau (and a
few other settlements) every Boxing Day, New Year's Day. Junkanoo is also used to celebrate
other holidays and events such as Emancipation Day.
Regattas are important social events in many family island settlements. They usually feature
one or more days of sailing by old-fashioned work boats, as well as an onshore festival.
Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or food of that area, such
as the "Pineapple Fest" in Gregory Town, Eleuthera or the "Crab Fest" on Andros. Other
significant traditions include story telling.
The Bahamas is the fourth richest country in the Americas (following Bermuda, the United
States and Canada), the richest one that lies south of the Mexico - US border, as well as the
richest one in the world whose population is predominantly of African origin.

Chica Luiza Elena

Clasa a XI-a C