When it comes to the Bahamas, many find luxurious beaches surrounded by spreading palm trees, a blue sea and bright sun. And this is understandable, since the tourism industry is really well developed here. But what else is this territory interesting for? We will talk about this in this article.
Bahamas on a map
The state, called the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is located north of the Caribbean Sea, southeast of the island of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago consists of 700 islands of various sizes and coral reefs, which occupy a space of 250 thousand km. Of these, only 30 are inhabited.
Land area can be compared with the area of Jamaica. The Bahamas includes the Caicos Islands and Turks, which are the overseas land of Great Britain. The largest of them are Andros, Greater Bahama, New Providence, Eleuthera.
The abundance of coral reefs, magnificent sandy beaches have turned into the popular and popular resort of the Bahamas. Tours to these places are especially popular in the winter (November to May).
Climatic conditions
The climate on the islands is tropical, mild, trade wind. Heavy precipitation is typical in May-June, as well as in autumn (September-October). In January, the average air temperature is 21 ° C, in July - about 30 ° C. Strong hurricanes from June to October are frequent.
Population
The total population is 353,658 people. 85% are mulattoes and blacks, 12% are Europeans, 3% are Hispanics and Asians. Literacy of the population is 95.6%. Despite the diversity of the nationalities inhabiting the Bahamas, the language (state) is English. Along with it, immigrants from Haiti use Creole Haitian.
State capital
All tourists arriving in the Bahamas begin acquaintance with this unusually picturesque territory from the capital of the state. It is located on the island of New Providence. This is a very small island (the smallest in the Bahamas archipelago). The capital of Nassau is a small and modern city, which is famous all over the world for its harmonious combination of ultra-modern buildings with structures of colonial architecture. The once noisy and small village, founded by pirates, has turned into a wonderful modern city of Nassau (Bahamas).
Many original and colorful buildings surround the harbor promenade and harbor, business districts are always lively, and numerous shops and markets offer tourists goods from different countries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, after the construction of the international airport and the deepening of the harbor, the Bahamas (the capital in particular) received up to a million tourists annually. And by the 70s, when the bridge was built on Paradise Island and landscaped Cable Beach, the city began to receive up to 2.5 million visitors a year.
Bahamas Attractions
At the beginning of our trip, we will get acquainted with some islands that are of interest to tourists.
Grand Bahama is located in the north of the archipelago. It is the second most visited tourist island in the country. Despite its name, it is not the largest island. He attracts tourists with snow-white shores, vast forests and rich wildlife. Its most popular area is Freeport.
Andros
The largest island of the archipelago. It is covered with vast palm thickets. In addition, mahogany and pine grow here. The forest here, according to the islanders, is populated by aggressive little red-eyed elves. They call them chikcharniz.
The island is poorly populated, only on its eastern shore can you find shabby shacks, surrounded by old cars and abandoned refrigerators. Therefore, Andros is most often visited only by extreme divers, who are attracted here by the third longest barrier reef in the world. He stretched along all the shores of the island. The city of Andros Town also belongs to the sights of this island, along with an old lighthouse and the beautiful Somerset Beach. In the town of Red Bay, located in the north-west of Andros, the descendants of the Seminole Indians live, who are famous for their skill in weaving various products from straws.
Eleuthera
The Bahamas, whose photos often adorn the covers of glossy magazines, attract very wealthy tourists on holiday. As a rule, they prefer this small island, which is traditionally considered to be elite. Luxurious resorts and various clubs alternate with magnificent villas and gourmet restaurants.
Harbor Island Reef, located in the northwest of Eluthera, deserves special attention. Here is the vibrant and distinctive city of Dunmore Town, a wonderful beach and excellent snorkelling and diving sites.
Long Island
Tourists visit far from all the Bahamas. The map shows that Long Island is an elongated island (one hundred kilometers long and five kilometers wide). It is practically not visited by tourists. And completely in vain. This is the most picturesque island of the archipelago, with many corners untouched by human civilization.
The landscape of Long Island is formed by a combination of hilly terrain, washed out by the surf of the coast, which are washed by the richest sea life, sandy beaches. In the north of the island there is a long snow-white beach - one of the most beautiful in the western hemisphere.
Nassau Cathedral
But not only the interesting nature of the Bahamas is famous. The capital of the state is famous for its architectural structures. One of them is the Cathedral. This is the largest religious building in the country. The construction of the cathedral dates back to the end of the 17th century. Next to it, you can see many commemorative tablets with the names of people who died here during the time of epidemics.
Queen Victoria Staircase
In Nassau (Bahamas) there is an unusual staircase. It was cut down in a limestone rock by slaves in the 18th century. It has sixty five steps. The current name was received much later. This happened during the celebration of the 65th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s throne.
A staircase runs along the wall of the fort. On the opposite side a small waterfall carries its waters. At the very bottom, at the steps there is a recreation area. And from the upper steps a bewitching view of Nassau opens.
Parliament building
This small two-story building is located in the very center of Nassau, in its main square. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, for the meetings of the colonial government. The first British officials appeared here in the middle of the XVII century. And today, direct influence from London is felt in the state, since formally the Queen of Great Britain is still the head of the country's Parliament.
The Parliament building has an antique portico, which is decorated with four columns. Like all buildings in the square, it is painted in a saturated pink color. It looks especially beautiful in the evening hours.
Bimini road
These are two almost parallel ruts paved with stone slabs that are under water. Some slabs reach a length of six meters. The road is located at a depth of nine meters, through perfectly clear water it is perfectly visible from the sea surface. Its length is five hundred meters, its width is ninety meters.
This is not the only unusual find. Not far from the Bimini road, a sleeve has a J-shape. It is also lined with such plates. Here, under the water, other strange structures were also discovered - platforms and concentric circles.
Alice Town
Today, many are attracted to the Bahamas, photos of which you can see in our article. They have many different clubs on their territory. Alice Town has the most famous of them. In it, E. Hemingway began to write his novel “To Have and Not To Have”. This historical monument is shown to tourists, which presents unique photographs of the famous writer, his personal belongings.
Royal Victoria Gardens Gardens
Unusual vegetation is famous for the Bahamas. The capital of Nassau on its territory has a unique botanical garden, built here at the beginning of the XIX century.
The Royal Victoria Gardens has a rare collection of plants from tropical countries. There are more than three hundred species. A huge number of rare varieties of orchids are surrounded by trees and fill the air with a delicious aroma.