Interesting Facts On Bahamas

This post is specially made for the people of Bahamas and interested people of the world who wants to know more important facts about
country Bahamas. So, stay in touch for more general knowledge.

• Bahamas is a North American country, which comprises of an archipelago of 700 islands.
• Bahamas spreading over an astounding area of 13,878 km2.
• The official name of the country is the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It is an archipelago, consisting of more than 700 islands.
• The capital city of Bahamas is Nassau. The two other big cities of the country are Nassau and Freeport.
• The name of the country comes from the Spanish word ‘bajamar’, meaning ‘shallow water’. The official language spoken in the country is English and the currency, the Bahamas-Dollar is at par with the US-Dollar.
• Bahamas was a British colony until 1973 and is now an independent nation. The Duke of Windsor was the Royal Governor of The Bahamas during from 1940 to 1945.
• There is no income tax or corporate tax levied in Bahamas. Around 50 percent of the national GDP is generated by tourism. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean. After tourism, financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy.
• Eighty percent of Bahamian natives are of African descent. Two-thirds of the population lives in the New Providence Island (the location of Nassau).
• The largest immigrant community in the Bahamas is that of the Haitians. 30,000-50,000 of the residents are concentrated in the New Province, Abaco and Eleuthera islands, including the legal and illegal residents.
• School attendance in Bahamas is compulsory between the ages of 5 to16. Out of the 210 primary schools run in the country, 158 are operated by the government. The remaining 52 schools are operated by private owners. Higher education is also offered by many non-Bahamian colleges in the country.
• The Bahamas is enrolled as an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The political and legal traditions of Bahamas closely follow the British ones, owing to their commonwealth membership.
• The country has a parliamentary form of democracy and regular elections are held. The Bahamian senate consists of 16 members, who are appointed by the Governor-General. The Governor-General also appoints the Chief Justice on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom serves as the highest appellate court.
• The local government districts in Bahamas elect local councils for town planning, business licenses, traffic issues and maintenance of government buildings. Lower level town councils are also accorded minor responsibilities in some large districts.
• Another interesting fact about the country is that the Bahamas women's 4x100 relay team won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
• The Bahamas House of Assembly first officially convened in 1729.
• The Bahamas Islands became the free and sovereign Commonwealth of The Bahamas on 10th July 1973 ending 325 years of British rule (but remains part of the Commonwealth).
• The Bahamas does not have an army.
• There are no rivers in The Bahamas.
• The Bahamas has the world's third longest barrier reef.
• The Lucayan National Park on Grand Bahama Island is the site of the world's longest known underwater cave and cavern system.
• Andros (2,300 square miles) is the fifth largest island in the Caribbean, but only has a population of 8,000 people.
• Mount Alvernia on Cat Island at 206 ft (63 meters) is the highest point in The Bahamas.
• The world's first land-and-sea park was established in the Exuma Cays in 1958.
• Inagua is a birdwatcher's paradise with the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos (over 60,000).
• According to the World Health Organization, only 3% of women and 19% of men in The Bahamas are smokers.
• Some unusual island names are Ragged Island, Crooked Island, Rum Cay, Conception Island, Exuma, Big Farmer's Cay and Great Sayle Cay.
• The Nassau Public Library (an octagonal building) was originally a jail.
• Feature films using Bahamian locations include The Outsider, Silence of the Lambs, Cocoon I & II, Flipper, Thunderball, Splash, Never Say Never Again, Zeus and Roxanne, Jaws the Revenge and Speed 2.
• The Bahamas has the clearest waters in the world with visibility of over 200 feet (61 meters). It has been scientifically proven that a specific alga, which requires light to live, is found deeper in The Bahamas than anywhere else on earth.
• Christianity is the main religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Church of God, Methodist, etc.