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Bahamas

When Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World in 1492, Arawak Indians inhabited the Bahamas islands. British settlement of the islands began in 1647 and the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, the Bahamas (unlike many African states given independence) have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management.

Bahamas The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, with some 80% of tourism in the Bahamas coming from the United States . Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. In addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a "third pillar," e-commerce.

The Bahamas is a chain of both inhabited and uninhabited islands, the most popular for holidays in the Bahamas are the main islands of Grand Bahama Island , Home of Freeport/Lucaya, the nation's second city, it has a faster pace and a more cosmopolitan atmosphere than the old-world sophistication of Nassau . Designer built for tourists; there are nightclubs and casinos, as well as extensive sports facilities for golf, tennis, and scuba. Nearby one can find original tranquil, quaint fishing villages. Or New Providence (Nassau/Paradise Island), the capital Nassau is located here, along with a wealth of luxury hotels and cozy inns. Prized for its sheltered harbor, Nassau 's history is preserved in Victorian mansions, cathedrals, 18th-century fortresses and a Queen's Staircase whose 66 steps lead to a magnificent view. Paradise Island hasspectacular hotels, a championship golf course and a dazzling casino and can be reached by ferry or by bridge from downtown Nassau .

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Bahamas Directory
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Bahamas Map

Bahamas
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P arliamentSquare in downtown Nassau is the center of the Bahamian government. Pastel buildings erected in the early 1800s by Loyalists, including the Houses of Parliament, the old Colonial Secretary's Office and the Supreme Court surround a marble statue of Queen Victoria . Each season, the opening ceremonies of the Supreme Court fill the square with pomp and pageantry. Further downtown stands Fort Charlotte . Built in 1788, it's complete with moat, open battlements and dungeons.

Or, if you really want to get away from the crowds, visit one of the many out islands like Abaco, known as a sailing capital where, in charming 18th century fishing villages, the art of shipbuilding continues as it has for centuries in the Bahamas.

Andros, Famous as a bone fishing capital, this is a mysterious and mangrove choked island of creeks and forests. It's the largest of the Bahamas and a must for explorers. It is also rapidly gaining interest as a spectacular dive site even amongst all the other diving in the Bahamas. Off the east coast lies the third largest barrier reef in the world. The 12 foot water around the reef suddenly plunges 6000 feet into the Tongue of the Ocean.

Acklins and Crooked Island, Biminis, Bahama Game fishing capital of the world where the waters teem with marlin, sailfish, blue fin tuna and many more species. Bahamas beach

The Berry Islands, Cat Island, gently rolling hills and ancient Indian caves with a hermitage at its highest peak. The Bahamas highest island, again ideal for explorers.

Eleuthera, given the Greek name 'Freedom' by the original English pilgrim settlers whose agricultural economy still dominates the island today. Miles of secluded pink beaches with excellent diving at nearby Spanish Wells and Harbour Island, as well as several ships wrecked by the razor sharp reef, divers can explore another rarity -- an undersea train wreck! Diving in the Bahamas has it all!

Exumas, The capital of yachting in the Bahamas, these islands are known for their beautiful beaches, coves and inlets.

Inaguas is a sanctuary for reptiles and natural habitat for thousands of pink flamingos. The main export of Inaguas is salt, about a million pounds are produced every year.

Long Island
An island of wandering hills and limestone caves. It also features scuba dives to underwater shipwrecks.

The Berry Islands, Cat Island, gently rolling hills and ancient Indian caves with a hermitage at its highest peak. The Bahamas highest island, again ideal for explorers.

Mayaguana, and San Salvador.
Where Columbus first set foot in the New World, it retains much of its original unspoiled beauty. The Bahamas are famous for their blue holes, extraordinarily deep inland sea pools fed by the ocean via natural underground passages. Caution should be exercised when exploring them - they can become dangerous vortices when the tides are strong. The water in the region yields incredible 100-foot visibility, allowing you to see everything from fantastic coral canyons to delicate scarlet fans and latticework. The diving tends to improve the farther one goes into the Out Islands.

Bahamas diving

Bahamas sharkBahamas diving as in almost all Caribbean countries is superb and has long been a popular past-time, however the internet and the growing popularity and availability of diving instruction is creating a market aimed at those visitors who come solely to go diving in the Bahamas, whether it be from a dive boat that cruises the islands stopping at various sites or land based in one of the many Bahamas hotels.

Bahamas charter

Bahamas yacht charter has been the dream of many weekend sailors and used to be the exclusive territory of the very rich but with more and more charter boats in the Bahamas available and with the owners or the skippers of these yachts in the Bahamas willing to put together parties for a weeks sailing it brings the prospect of sailing in the Bahamas into the range of many more people without them having to try to organize a group of friends.

Golf in Bahamas

Bahamas golf has always been an attractive proposition with consistent year round blue skies and sunshine, even in the rainy season the sun soon comes out again after a brief period of necessary shelter and with the plethora of golf courses in the Bahamas there’s always going to be a Bahamas golf course to suit. The golf courses in the Bahamas are generally kept to a very high standard, witness the high profile international competitions that are played on the golf courses in the Bahamas.

Bahamas property

Bahamas property is booming, to many the idea of owning a property in the Bahamas would be the culmination of a life’s dream, with turquoise seas and white sandy beaches, a wonderful sub-tropical climate and because it is a series of islands, there are lots of beach front properties in the Bahamas. With everything from timeshare weeks through apartments to luxury homes, Bahamas real estate has it all.

There is a large range of different levels of accommodation in the Bahamas from the traditional hotel to beachside cabins to private villas, there has to be something to enable everyone to enjoy that dream Bahama holiday. Whatever you decide to do during your stay please enjoy your holiday in the Bahamas and come back to see us again.

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