Bahamas

Bahamas - Capital - Nassau. Caribbean, chain of Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, South-East of Florida, North-East of Cuba. Bahamas consists of an Archipelago of 700 islands and 2000 cays. Total Area - 13935 sq. km (5380 sq. mi).

Prohibited activities - On Bahamas skin diving with the use of a underwater gun and other hunting adaptations is forbidden. Conventional sports fishing is otherwise authorized. A fishing license will cost about 20 US dollars daily or 150 dollars for all year, provided that on your vessel (yacht etc.) is established no more than six rods. The catching a fish by automatic fishing machines is forbidden.

Climate and nature - The climate in the Bahamas is tropical. The coolest season occurs during the period from September till May, when temperature falls as low as 18-22 of degrees C above zero. All other seasons on Bahamas are quite warm with the average temperature of the air between 22-30 degrees C. The western coast of the islands are made warm by the Gulf Stream, and a soft equatorial wind constantly blows from the Southeast. From May till October - the rains fall often, and occasionally there are great storms called hurricanes. Bananas, oranges, coconuts and pineapples grow on the islands. There are tropical and piney woods. The fauna is diverse and includes many birds and wild boar.

Global telephone, facsimile, telegraphic and telex communication services are possible. There are traditional radio, TV and daily newspapers for local and global news.

Religion - Overwhelming majority of the local inhabitants - Christians. Among them: 80 % - Protestants, 20 % - Catholics.

History of Bahamas - As friendly and free as the islands of Bermuda seem today, their past is one of sadness, exploitation of labor, pirates and brutality. Following the 1492 voyages of the Great Navigator Christopher Columbus, the Bahamas were opened for exploitatioin and native Indian tribes were taken by the Spanish and enslaved and taken to serve and die in the brutal gold and silver mines of South America and Latin America. Combined with enslavement and disease epidemics, most of the earlier native inhabitants died and gradually were replaced by European settlers with various agendas - some sought refuge from religious persecution, some sought relief from debt and imprisonment into debtors' prisons, some were pirates seeking logistics support and refuge from bounty hunters. After the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War refugees called Royalists and Southern Sympathizers respectively retreated to Bermuda with their slaves. The slaves, actually, propagated much faster than their Masters, gained their freedom in various ways aided by the British abolishing the practice slavery in their Empire in the latter 19th century. Today Bermuda has a greater percentage of people related to slave ancestors than other population segments.

Bahamas Islands:

Grand Bahama Island - The main towns are Freeport/Lucaya, which has an airport, and West End. The island offers wide white sandy beaches, two casinos and good shopping facilities, entertainment and restaurants at the International Bazaar and Port Lucaya. The Rand Memorial Nature Center offers an excellent nature walk and the Garden of the Groves has exotic flowers, waterfalls and colorful birds.

Andros - The largest but probably the least known of the bigger islands. Laced with creeks and densely forested inland, the interior is still largely untouched and natural. Off the eastern shore is the 224 Km (140 Ml) long coral barrier reef – the world’s third longest. Beyond the reef, the ocean floor drops away steeply to a depth of more than 1.5km (1 mile); called the Tongue of the Ocean, deep-water fishing is a major attraction here.

The Abacos - A crescent-shaped chain of islands to the north of New Providence. Many of the towns here have the atmosphere of New England fishing villages. The islands are particularly noted for their tradition of shipbuilding, the original 200-year-old practice that can still be observed in Man-O-War Cay. Treasure Cay has an excellent golf course and here, as in the other major islands, there are excellent leisure facilities. Other attractions include Alton Lowe’s Museum in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, Elbow Cay and Marsh Harbour, the bare-boat charter center of the northern Bahamas. Scuba-divers are drawn to Pelican Cay National Park, an underwater preserve where night dives can be arranged.

Cat Island - One of the eastern bulwarks of The Bahamas, Cat Island has 60m (200ft) cliffs (a rare height for The Bahamas), dense natural forest and pre-Columbian Arawak Indian caves. On Mount Alvernia is the Hermitage built by Father Jerome. The Cat Island Regatta takes place here during the August bank holiday. 

Bimini - Lying between Andros and Florida, Bimini is widely regarded as one of the best fishing centers in the world. Hemingway used to live in Alice Town in Blue Marlin Cottage, and mementos of his life can be seen in the local museum.

Berry Island - Popular with fishing enthusiasts and also noted for its serene landscapes and white sand beaches. Great Harbour Cay has a championship golf course and a marina. Scuba-divers can admire the underwater rock formations and 5m (15ft) staghorn coral reefs off Mamma Rhoda Rock.

Long Island - This island certainly lives up to its name, being almost 100km (60 miles) long but rarely more than 5km (3 miles) wide. The landscape consists of rugged headlands dropping sharply down to the sea, fertile pastureland, rolling hills and sandy beaches washed by surf. At Conception Island, divers can explore over 30 shipwrecks and tours are arranged from the Stella Maris Resort Club at the north end of the island. The Long Island Regatta at Salt Pond takes place here in May.

Blue Lagoon Island - An exotic lagoon where visitors can enjoy close encounters with friendly bottle-nosed dolphins. Regular 45-minute sessions include an educational talk and about 30 minutes of swimming in the water with the dolphins.

Watersports - These are exceptionally well catered for in The Bahamas: sailing, parasailing, diving, swimming, snorkeling and water-skiing are all widely available. The temperature of the sea rarely drops below 21°C (70°F), even in midwinter. Equipment is available from shops, hotels and marinas. Surfing can be done on Eleuthera and windsurfing in Nassau and on Grand Bahama. Sport fishing is popular throughout the islands. For further details on beaches and diving, see the Where to Go section.