Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an independent English-speaking nation in the Caribbean. Where in the world are they? Bahamas is located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida in the United States, north of Cuba and the Caribbean, and west of the British dependency of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Bahamas is a group of about 700 islands in the western Atlantic, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. It may sound like a great place, but on a comparison basis, the Bahamas is only slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.
The largest island is Andros Island, located 120 miles south-east of Florida. The Bimini islands are to its northwest. To the north lies the island of Grand Bahama, home to the second largest city in the country, Freeport, Bahamas.
The island of Abaco is to its east. In the south is the island of Great Inagua, the second largest island in the country.
A few facts and figures: Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. Islands have a subtropical climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream. Most people are ethnic Christians, and English is the official language.
The islands are surface projections of three oceanic banks, the Little Bahama Bank, the Great Bahama Bank and the westernmost Cay Sal Bank. The highest point is 2480 inches (just less than half a mil) above sea level on Cat Island, the island of New Providence, where the capital Nassau is located, reaches a maximum height of only 1.457 inches.
The lands in the Bahamas has a foundation of fossil coral, but a large part of the rock is Olitic limestone, stone comes from the decomposition of coral and seashells. The land is primarily either rocky or mangrove swamp. Low scrub covers much of the surface. Timber found in abundance in four of the northern islands: Grand Bahama, Abaco, New Providence and Andros. In some of the southern islands, low-growing tropical hardwood flourishes.
Although some soil is very fertile, it is also very thin. Few freshwater lakes and just one river, located on Andros Island, found in the Bahamas.
The climate of the Bahamas is semi-tropical. They have only two seasons, summer and winter.
During the summer, which extends from May to November, the climate is characterized by warm, moist tropical air masses moving north through the Caribbean. Midsummer varying from 70 ° to 93 ° F with a relative humidity of 60-100%.
During the winter months, which extends from December to April the climate is influenced by the movement of cold polar masses from North America. Temperatures in the winter months the range of from 59 ° to 75 ° F.
Annual precipitation averages 52 inches annually and is usually concentrated in May-June and September-October periods. Precipitation occurs often in short, fairly intense showers accompanied by strong gusts.
Winds are predominantly easterly throughout the year, but tend to be northeast from October to April and southeasterly from May to September. These winds rarely exceed 15 km / h per hour except during hurricane season.
Although hurricane season officially lasts from June to November, most hurricanes in the Bahamas between July and October. The last hurricane to strike was Hurricane David in September 1979. Damage was estimated at U.S. $ 1.8 million and mainly affected agricultural products. The most intense twentieth-century hurricane to hit the Bahamas was in 1929. Winds of up to 140 km / h were recorded. Many people lost their lives, and there was extensive damage to buildings, homes, and boats.
Do not let the hurricanes and heat scare you. Bahamas is a wonderful place to vacation, any time of year. Gather your sunglasses, find your swim suit and call your travel agent today!