Article Outline
Bahamas or Bahamas, officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, independent state, Caribbean region, and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Bahamas comprise an archipelago of about 700 islands and islets, and nearly 2,400 cays and rocks in the Atlantic Ocean, extending for about 1,200 km (750 mi) from a point south-east of Palm Beach, Florida, United States, to a point off the eastern tip of Cuba. The Biminis, the westernmost of the group, are about 97 km (60 mi) east of Florida. Only about 40 of the islands are inhabited. New Providence is economically the most important of the group and contains more than half of the total population. The second major island is Grand Bahama, the most northerly of the group. The other islands, all of which are low-lying, are known as the Family Islands, chief of which are the Abacos (Great and Little), Acklins, Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, the Exumas, Harbour Island, Inagua (Great and Little), Long Island, Mayaguana, Rum Cay, and San Salvador. The area of the Bahamas is 13,939 sq km (5,382 sq mi). The capital of the islands is Nassau on New Providence.
The islands are low-lying, with the highest point on Cat Island at less than 122 m (400 ft). They are made up of limestone and the soil is thin and mostly infertile, while large areas are swampy and uninhabitable. There are many large cave systems and blue holes. There are no rivers but fresh or brackish water can be found by drilling wells. Crooked Island, along with the Acklins and a number of small islands, forms an arc-shaped archipelago around a fishing bank.
Vegetation is sparse because of the thin soil and relative lack of rainfall. Many of the islands are covered in scrub or Caribbean pines, although there are also coppices of hardwoods such as mahogany and wild coffee. There are mangroves in the swamp areas.
The Bahamas has a tropical climate, although rainfall is lower than in many of the other islands of the Caribbean region. Average daily temperatures range from 18° C to 27° C (64° F to 81° F) in the winter months of December to April, and 21° C to 32° C (70° F to 89° F) during the rest of the year. The winter months are dry, which accounts for the Bahamas’ popularity as a destination for winter sun seekers. Average monthly rainfall in the driest month, December, is only 33 mm (1 in). In the wettest month, September, rainfall averages 175 mm (7 in). Like the other islands in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas are subject to hurricanes and tropical storms between June and November, but individual islands usually go several years without experiencing severe weather damage.
Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
