| Official name: | The Commonwealth of the Bahamas |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Nassau |
| Size: | 13,939 km² |
| Population: | 268,000 |
| Borders: | no direct borders; surrounded by the Carribean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, at the gateway of the Gulf of Mexico |
| Currency: | Bahama Dollar |
| Official language: | English |
| Nationality / People: | A person of Bahamian nationality is a Bahamian. |
| Local time: |
Other interesting facts:
The name of the state comes from the Spanish word »bajamar«, which means »shallow water«. The archipielago comprises almost 700 islands, of which only about 30 are inhabited.There are only two big cities on the Bahamas: Nassau (with about 170,000 inhabitants) and Freeport (with about 27,000 inhabitants).
The Bahamas were a British colony until 1973 and are now an independent nation within the Commonwealth.