Useful Notes / The Bahamas

Instead of studying for finals, what about just going to The Bahamas and catching some rays? Maybe you’ll flunk, but you might have flunked anyway; that’s my point.

— Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

Officially known as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, The Bahamas is an archipelago east of the United States that achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1973, whose gorgeous weather and beaches make it a popular resort for tourism as well as an idyllic location for films like the Pirates of the Caribbean series (though the majority of said films were shot in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), James Bond (Thunderball, Casino Royale), Jaws: The Revenge, Why Did I Get Married 2 and Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman.

The Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas and The Other Wiki have all the factual data you ought to know about the country. Unfortunately this has not stopped many (mostly residing in continental North America) from mistakenly equating this beautiful chain of islands with Jamaica. The blame for this rests solely on lazy Hollywood casting directors who automatically assume that the Jamaican accent is universal throughout The Caribbean.

On that note, the reaction of educated Bahamians to people equating The Bahamas with the Caribbean in general is to immediately label the offending party as an “ignorant foreigner”.

The Bahamas is the most affluent country in the world with a predominantly-African population. It's also where Christopher Columbus set foot down for the first time.

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The Bahamian flag

The black triangle symbolizes the people's unity and determination. The islands' geographic situation is symbolized by two aquamarine stripes of the seas separated by the yellow stripe of the land.

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The Bahamian national anthem

Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland;

March on to glory, your bright banners waving high.

See how the world marks the manner of your bearing!

Pledge to excel through love and unity.

Pressing onward, march together

to a common loftier goal;

Steady sunward, tho' the weather

hide the wide and treacherous shoal.

Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland,

'Til the road you've trod lead unto your God,

March on, Bahamaland!

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Government

• Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
  • Monarch: Charles III
  • Governor-General: Sir Cornelius A. Smith
  • Prime Minister: Hubert Minnis

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Miscellaneous

• Capital and largest city: Nassau
• Population: 385,637
• Area: 13,878 km² (5,358 sq mi) (155th)
• Currency: Bahamian dollar ($) (BSD)
• ISO-3166-1 Code: BS
• Country calling code: 1 (area code 242)
• Highest point: Mount Alvernia (163 m/207 ft) (199th)
• Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean (-3,646 m/-11,962 ft)