Bahamas

Lay of the Land
The Bahamas consist of 700 tropical islands plus another 2,400 baby cays, but most visitors tend to focus on only a handful of them. New Providence (home to the capital, Nassau) measures only 7 miles by 21 miles, but two of every three Bahamians live there. It can be broken into three parts: Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas; Paradise Island, connected to the "mainland" by a couple of bridges; and all the rest—which takes in resort areas like Cable Beach, high-end gated communities, several nature preserves, and lots of small communities and settlements. To the north of New Providence is Grand Bahama, the second most popular destination, with some beautiful dive sites, white sand beaches, and pine forests. If that's what you came for, keep going until you reach the Out Islands (sometimes called the Family Islands), which are scattered east of Nassau; the farthest is Inagua, one hour and 30 minutes by plane. The closest Out Island to Nassau is picturesque Eleuthera, only 20 minutes away, with its pink beaches and the ever-more-famous cay Harbour Island nestled off its northwest shore. A mere 50 miles east of Miami are the little Bimini islands, the largest are North Bimini and South Bimini. The south island is practically deserted while the northmost island, especially in the area of Alice Town, is another big destination for the spring-break set. The curved 130-mile chain of the Abaco islands, to the east of Grand Bahama, is a very different prospect, known for its small inns and marinas. Southwest of the Abaco Islands is the largest island in the Bahamas, 2,300-square-mile Andros. More like a giant lump of complex fretwork than a single land mass, Andros can be divided into North Andros, South Andros, Central Andros and Mangrove Cay. Most residents and all the tourist accommodations are concentrated along the east coast. Southeast of Andros are the Exuma islands, a 120-mile strip of 365 cays. The two main islands are called Great Exuma and little Exuma, which form the southern tip.

NEED TO KNOW

Language: English
Capital City: Nassau
Population: 302,000
Area: 5,400 square miles
Telephone Calling Code(s): 1
Electricity: 120V, 60 Hz
Currency: As of Nov 19, 2008:
1 Bahamas Dollars = $1.00US Calculate Other Amounts
Entry Requirements:

The Bahamas does not require visas for citizens of the United States. A valid passport is sufficient for an eight-month stay.

GOOD TO KNOW

Books and Movies
To get a taste of Bahamian history stretching back to Columbus, dip into The Story of the Bahamas, by Paul Albury. Buccaneers of America, by John Esquemeling, offers an entertaining 17th-century eyewitness account of the sordid carryings-on of the peg-leg and parrot set. The Lucayans, by Sandra Riley, relates a more somber tale about the extermination of the indigenous population by ruthless Spanish conquistadors, long before affluent crowds and megaresorts ruled the islands. A Saga of Sea Tragedy and Sunken Treasure, by Dave Horner, tells the true story of two treasure-toting galleons lost near the Bahamian seas. The sun, sand, and crystalline waters that attract vacationers is also a lure for movie producers, and a slew of films have used the Bahamas as the setting or as an anonymous (often underwater) backdrop, ranging from the Beatles' Help in 1965 to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. James Bond seems to have a soft spot for the islands: Thunderball (1966), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Never Say Never Again (1983), and Casino Royale (2007). Other recent movies set in the Bahamas are Holiday in the Sun (2001), Into the Blue (2005), and After the Sunset (2004), with Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek.

Cuisine
Like that of other Caribbean islands, the cuisine of the Bahamas focuses on seafood (including conch, crab, grouper, and lobster) with fresh fruit, rice, and grits—but without the hot chiles or fusion flavors of, say, Jamaica. Tourist fare here is likely to reflect the Bahamas' specialties, though obviously with an upscale, Continental, hotel-friendly twist and lots of fruity rum libations.

Good Buys
The islands of the Caribbean are very similar when it comes to shopping potential. The main attractions are inevitably duty-free goods—jewelry, watches, electronics, makeup, fragrance, liquor, and tobacco at good markdowns. Bahamian specialties include seashell jewelry and wood carvings.

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

January: 1, New Year's Day
June: First Friday, Labor Day
July: 10, Independence Day
August: First Monday, Emancipation Day
October: Second Monday, Discovery Day
December: 25, Christmas Day; 26, Boxing Day
Spring: Friday before Easter, Good Friday; Easter; Monday after Easter, Easter Monday; eighth Monday after Easter, Pentecost Monday