2. About the Area:
Nassau (A whole island not just a city!)
• The capital city of The Bahamas is
found on our 11th largest island, New
Providence. Nassau’s history can be
traced back to days of the legendary
pirate Blackbeard. Its sheltered harbor,
mansions, cathedrals and 18th-century
fortresses have been beautifully
preserved.
Paradise Island
• Once known as Hogg Island, Paradise
Island is 685 acres of pure bliss
connected to Nassau by two bridges.
The island was developed almost
exclusively to delight and entertain
visitors.
3. Areas of Interest:
Bay Street
• Shops, pubs and cafes line Nassau’s historic Bay Street. Considered the
city’s “Main Street”, it has maintained its historic feel while offering all the
amenities our visitors’ desire.
Blue Lagoon Island
• A relaxing 20-minute sail from Nassau, Blue Lagoon Island has several
programs that allow visitors to interact with dolphins. Meet these loving
mammals from the edge of the water or get up close and personal right
next to them in the ocean.
Cable Beach
• Looking for some sand? Look no further than a few miles west of
Nassau. There sits a two-and-a-half mile stretch of beach and beach life.
Cable Beach is also home to the Crystal Palace Casino, as well as
several luxury resorts, nightclubs and the Cable Beach golf course.
4. 4 Things You Should Know about
The Bahamas
Population: About 300,000 people
Total Area: 5,382 square miles
Capital City: Nassau
Official Language: People in Bahamas speak English. But the
Haitian immigrants speak Creole.
– Common speech is more British than English
– Locals have a strong accent and every other word is a slang word
6. Population
• Capital=Nassau.
• Nassau has about 240,000 people.
• Blacks make up 4/5 of population . Rest
are either whites or mulattoes (persons of
mixed black and white ancestry.)
7. Climate
• The highest temperature in the Bahamas is 89 - 95
• The lowest temperature in the Bahamas is 62 - 64
• Average winter temp= about 70F
• Mild all year round
• Beautiful and rocky
8. History
• Lucayan (Arawak or Taino) Indians inhabited the
islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the
New World on San Salvador in 1492.
• The earliest permanent European settlement occurred
in 1647 on the island of Eleuthera. The 18th century
slave trade brought many Africans to the Bahamas.
Their descendants constitute 85 percent of the
Bahamian population.
• Became a British colony in 1717. Spain gave up its
claim to the islands in 1783, under treaty of Paris. After
the Revolutionary war, in America, British came from
the United States and settled in The Bahamas.
• Full independence gained on July 10, 1973
9. Some of the Bahamas Land and water
mammals.
• Some of the smallest mammals on land are raccoon and the hutia (Banana
Rat).
• Some larger mammals are wild donkeys, wild boar, and horses.
• The whale and the dolphin are the most common sea mammal.
• Some of the reptiles are the rock iguana and the Hawksbill turtle and the
Cat island terrapin.
• One bird that lives on the island is the flamingo.
10. Workforce/Jobs
• Most popular jobs= Tourism and Banking
• Industrial jobs are cement, rum, salt, oil
transshipment
• Bahamian dollar one hundred cents equal
one dollar
• Because of its geography, the country is a
major transshipment point for illegal drugs for
both the United States and Europe
11. Food & Cuisine
• Citrus fruits, vegetables, bananas,
cucumbers, pineapples and tomatoes
• Live stock is 750 cattle, 3 million chicken
14,500 pigs 5,000 sheep amount of fish they
catch is 10,732 metric tons.
• Conch (pronounced 'konk’), Crawfish (local
rock lobster), land crabs, and fish such as
Grouper, Yellow Tail and Red Snapper are
local and tourist favorites.
• Boiled fish and grits is a favorite breakfast.
Boiled fish is also delicious served with
homemade Island bread. A typical Bahamian
meal consists of crab and rice, steamed fish,
served with baked macaroni and cheese and
potato salad.
• Desserts such as coconut or pineapple tart,
bread pudding or guava duff, a delicious
dessert that is made through a laborious
process of folding the fruit into the dough
and boiling and is served with a sauce.
• This meal is finished off with a large glass of
ice cold "switcha" (lemon, sugar and water
mixture) or beer.
12. Religion
• No official religion
• Lucayan Beliefs
• Two supreme gods
• Many different types of religions.
•Baptist 35.4%
•Anglican 15.1%
•Roman Catholic 13.5%
•Pentecostal 8.1%
•Church of God 4.8%
•Methodist 4.2%
•other Christian 15.2%
•none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8%
13. Military
Military branches
– Royal Bahamian Defense Force
• Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2009)
• Military service age and obligation
• 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)
14. Government
• Type of government is independent
commonwealth
• Head of State: Queen Elizabeth ll
• Head of government: Prime Minister Hubert
Alexander Ingraham
• Represented by Governor General Arthur D.
Hanna
15. Schools
• The Bahamas School attendance is between the ages
of 5 and 16 year olds.
• There are 158 primary schools.
• There are 52 privately operated schools.
• School start starts from nursery at age 3 or
Kindergarten at age 4 and all the and all the way up to
High School grade 12.
• Percent that go to school is 95.6%
• Very high literacy rate (Higher than the United States).
16. Sports
• Basketball is big in the Bahamas.
• Soccer is huge!
– “It is an event quite unlike any other. The FIFA
Congress is about to get started once again and, as
usual, that means a huge number of people are on
the move and a mammoth logistical effort underway.
No fewer than ten tons of material have been
transported from FIFA headquarters, representing
more than 100,000 items overall, while 3,659 flights
have been booked from every corner of the planet,
more than 5,000 hotel nights reserved and around
100 journalists accredited for an event that will feature
1,000 participants.”
