s. In 1670 King Charles II granted the islands to the Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas, who rented the islands from the king with rights of trading, tax, appointing governors, and administering the country.[8] 18th century During proprietary rule, the Bahamas became a haven for pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard. To restore orderly government, The Bahamas were made a British crown colony in 1718 under the royal governorship of Woodes Rogers, who, after a difficult struggle, succeeded in suppressing piracy.[9] In 1720 he led local militia to drive off a Spanish attack. During the American War of Independence, the islands were a target for American naval forces under the command of Commodore Ezekial Hopkins. The capital of Nassau on the island of New Providence was occupied by US Marines for a fortnight. In 1782, following the British defeat at Yorktown, a Spanish fleet appeared off the coast of Nassau, which surrendered without a fight. After American independence, some 7,300 Loyalists and their slaves moved to the Bahamas from New York, Florida and the Carolinas. These Americans established plantations on several islands and became a political force in the capital. The small population became mostly African from this point on. The British abolished the slave trade in 1807, which led to the forced settlement on Bahamian islands of thousands of Africans liberated from slave ships by the Royal Navy. Slavery itself was finally abolished in the British Empire on August 1, 1834. 20th century Modern political development began after the Second World War. The first political parties were formed in the 1950s and the British made the islands internally self-governing in 1964, with Roland Symonette of the United Bahamian Party as the first premier. In 1967, Lynden Pindling of the Progressive Liberal Party became the first black premier of the colony, and in 1968 the title was changed to prime minister. In 1973, The Bahamas became fully independent, but retained membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Sir Milo Butler was appointed the first black governor-general (the representative of Queen Elizabeth II) shortly after independence. Based on the twin pillars of tourism and offshore finance, the Bahamian economy has prospered since the 1950s. However, there remain significant challenges in areas such as education, health care, international narcotics trafficking and illegal immigration from Haiti. Geography and climate Main article: Geography of the Bahamas Wettest tropical cyclones in the Bahamas Precipitation Storm Location Rank (mm) (in) 1 747.5 29.43 Noel 2007 Long Island[10] 2 508.0 20.00 Donna 1960 [11] 3 436.6 17.19 Flora 1963 Duncan Town[12] 4 390.1 15.36 Inez 1966 Nassau Airport[12] 5 337.1 13.27 Fox 1952 New Providence[13] 6 321.1 12.64 Michelle 2001 Nassau[14] 7 309.4 12.18 Erin 1995 Church Grove[15] 8 279.4 10.00 Isidore 1984 Nassau[16] 9 260.0 9.88 Fay 2008 Freeport[17] 10 236.7 9.32 Floyd 1999 Little Harbor Abacos[18] The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which is also known as the gateway to The Bahamas. The island of Abaco is to the east of Grand Bahama. The southeasternmost island is Inagua. The largest island is Andros Island. Other inhabited islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana. Nassau, capital city of The Bahamas, lies on the island of New Providence. The Bahamas from space. NASA Aqua satellite image, 2009 All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft). The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia, formerly called Como Hill, which has an altitude of 63 metres (207 ft) on Cat Island. To the southeast, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and three more extensive submarine features called Mouchoir Bank, Silver Bank, and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation of The Bahamas, but not part of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.[citation needed] Climate Main article: Climate of the Bahamas The climate of the Bahamas is subtropical to tropical, and is moderated significantly by the waters of the Gulf Stream, particularly in winter.[19] Conversely, this often proves very dangerous in the summer and autumn, when hurricanes pass near or through the islands. Hurricane Andrew hit the northern islands during the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season, and Hurricane Floyd hit most of the islands during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. While there has never been a freeze reported in the Bahamas, the temperature can fall as low as 2–3 °C (35.6–37.4 °F) during Arctic outbreaks that affect nearby Florida. Snow was reported to have mixed with rain in Freeport in January 1977, the same time that it snowed in the Miami area.[20] The temperature was about 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) at the time.[21] Government and politics Main article: Politics of the Bahamas Bahamian Parliament, located in downtown Nassau Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham The Bahamas is a sovereign independent nation. Political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom and the Westminster system. The Bahamas is a parliamentary democracy with two main parties, the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party. Tourism generates about half of all jobs, but the number of visitors has dropped significantly since the beginning of the global economic downturn during the last quarter of 2008. Banking and international financial services also have contracted, and The Bahamas is one of 34 secrecy jurisdictions that would be subject to the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act introduced in the U.S. Congress. The Bahamas is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state (represented by a Governor-General). Legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament, which consists of a 41-member House of Assembly (the lower house), with members elected from single-member districts, and a 16-member Senate, with members appointed by the governor-general, including nine on the advice of the prime minister, four on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and three on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. The House of Assembly carries out all major legislative functions. As under the Westminster system, the prime minister may dissolve parliament and call a general election at any time within a five-year term. The Prime Minister is the head of government and is the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet, selected by the prime minister and drawn from his supporters in the House of Assembly. The current governor-general is Sir Arthur Foulkes and the current Prime Minister is Hubert Ingraham. The Bahamas has a largely two-party system dominated by the centre-left Progressive Liberal Party and the centre-right Free National Movement. A handful of splinter parties have been unable to win election to parliament. These parties have included the Bahamas Democratic Movement, the Coalition for Democratic Reform and the Bahamian Nationalist Party. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. Although The Bahamas is not geographically located in the Caribbean, it is a member of the Caribbean Community. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English law. Administrative Divisions Districts of The Bahamas Main article: Districts of the Bahamas The districts of the Bahamas provide a system of local government everywhere except New Providence, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government. In 1996, the Bahamian Parliament passed "The Local Government Act" to facilitate the establishment of Family Island Administrators, Local Government Districts, Local District Councillors, and Local Town Committees for the various island communities. The overall goal of this act is to allow the various elected leaders to govern and oversee the affairs of their respective districts without the interference of Central Government. In total, there are 32 districts, with elections being held every three years. There are also one hundred and ten Councillors and two hundred and eighty-one Town Committee members to correspond with the various districts.[22] Each Councillor or Town Committee member is responsible for the proper use of public funds for the maintenance and development of their constituency. The districts other than New Providence are: Acklins Berry Islands Bimini Black Point, Exuma Cat Island Central Abaco Central Andros Central Eleuthera City of Freeport, Grand Bahama Crooked Island East Grand Bahama Exuma Grand Cay, Abaco Harbour Island, Eleuthera Hope Town, Abaco Inagua Long Island Mangrove Cay, Andros Mayaguana Moore's Island, Abaco North Abaco North Andros North Eleuthera Ragged Island Rum Cay San Salvador South Abaco South Andros South Eleuthera Spanish Wells, Eleuthera West Grand Bahama Green Turtle Cay (not shown on map on the right) National symbols National flag National Flag of The Bahamas The colours embodied in the design of the Bahamian flag symbolise the image and aspirations of the people of the Bahamas; the design reflects aspects of the natural environment (sun, sand, and sea) and the economic and social development. The flag is a black equilateral triangle against the mast, superimposed on a horizontal background made up of two colours on three equal stripes of aquamarine, gold and aquamarine. The symbolism of the flag is as follows: Black, a strong colour, represents the vigour and force of a united people, the triangle pointing towards the body of the flag represents the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and possess the rich resources of sun and sea symbolized by gold and aquamarine respectively. In reference to the representation of the people with the colour black, some white Bahamians have joked that they are represented in the thread which "holds it all together."[23] Bahamian Coat of Arms Coat of arms Main article: Coat of arms of the Bahamas The Coat of Arms of the Bahamas contains a shield with the national symbols as its focal point. The shield is supported by a marlin and a flamingo, which are the national animals of the Bahamas. The flamingo is located on the land, and the marlin on the sea, indicating the geography of the islands. On top of the shield is a conch shell, which represents the varied marine life of the island chain. The conch shell rests on a helmet. Below this is the actual shield, the main symbol of which is a ship representing the Santa Marνa of Christopher Columbus, shown sailing beneath the sun. Along the bottom, below the shield appears a banner upon which is scripted the national motto:[24] "Forward, Upward, Onward Together." The yellow elder National Flower The yellow elder was chosen as the national flower of the Bahamas because it is native to the Bahama Islands, and it blooms throughout the year. Selection of the yellow elder over many other flowers was made through the combined popular vote of members of all four of New Providence's garden clubs of the 1970s – the Nassau Garden Club, the Carver Garden Club, the International Garden Club, and the YWCA Garden Club. They reasoned that other flowers grown there – such as the bougainvillea, hibiscus, and poinciana – had already been chosen as the national flowers of other countries. The yellow elder, on the other hand, was unclaimed by other countries (although it is now also the national flower of the United States Virgin Islands).[25] Economy Cruise ships in Nassau Harbor Main article: Economy of the Bahamas One of the most prosperous countries in the Caribbean region, the Bahamas relies on tourism to generate most of its economic activity. Tourism as an industry not only accounts for over 60 percent of the Bahamian GDP, but provides jobs for more than half the country's workforce.[26] An example of Tourism in the Bahamas is the number of cruise ships that land in the capital of Nassau where tourists visit the straw market to buy different items or have their hair braided. After tourism, the most important economic sector is financial services, accounting for around 15 percent of GDP. The government has adopted incentives to encourage foreign financial business, and further banking and finance reforms are in progress. The government plans to merge the regulatory functions of key financial institutions, including the Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Restrictions and controls on capital and money market instruments exist, and are administered by the Central Bank. The Bahamas International Securities Exchange currently consists of 19 listed public companies. Reflecting the relative soundness of the banking system (mostly populated by Canadian banks), the impact of the global financial crisis on the financial sector has been limited. The economy has a very competitive tax regime. The government derives its revenue from import tariffs, license fees, property and stamp taxes, but there is no income tax, corporate tax, capital gains tax, value-added tax (VAT), or wealth tax. Payroll taxes fund social insurance benefits. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 21.8 percent. Authorities are trying to increase tax compliance and collection in the wake of the global crisis. Inflation has been moderate, averaging 3.7 percent between 2006 and 2008. Demographics This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (April 2008) Main article: Demographics of the Bahamas Afro-Bahamians Afro-Bahamians or Bahamians of African descent are Bahamians whose ancestry lies within the continent of Africa, most notably West Africa. The first Africans to arrive to The Bahamas came from Bermuda with the Eleutheran Adventurers as freed slaves looking for a new life. Currently, Afro-Bahamians are the largest ethnic group in the Bahamas, as they account for 85% of the country's population.[1] They have now been able to achieve a much higher standard of living than previous generations. Europeans European Bahamians or Bahamians of European Descent are Bahamians whose ancestry lie within the continent of Europe. Most are the descendants of the British Puritans and American Loyalists who arrived in 1649 and 1783 respectively. They form the largest minority group in the Bahamas at 12% of the population. A small portion of the European Bahamian population are the descendants of Greek labourers who came to help develop the sponging industry in the 1900s (but they contribute less than 1% to the population). Due to their very distinct differences with the majority of the Bahamian population they have been able to preserve their Greek culture. Also included are white Cubans, Dominicans (from Dominican Republic), and Puerto Ricans as well. Population: 309,156 (July 2009 est.) Age structure: 0–14 years: 25.9% (male 40,085; female 38,959) 15–64 years: 67.2% (male 102,154; female 105,482) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 8,772; female 12,704) (2009 est.) Population growth rate: 0.5347% (2010 est.) Birth rate: 17.81 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death rate: 9.35 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Net migration rate: -2.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Infant mortality rate: 23.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.87 years. Female: 73.49 years (2002 est.) Male: 66.32 years Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2002 est.) Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s) Adjective: Bahamian (pronounced /b?'he?mi.?n/) Ethnic groups: 86% Black, 10% White, 4% Other... Religions: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 13,4%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%[27] The 'other' category includes Jews, Muslims, Baha'is, Hindus, Rastafarians, and practitioners of Obeah.[28] Languages: English (official), Bahamian Dialect[29], Literacy (age 15+): total population: 98.2% male: 98.5% female: 98% (1995 est.)[30] Education Primary Schools Secondary Schools Upper Schools (HS) Universities College of the Bahamas Culture Main articles: Culture of the Bahamas and Music of the Bahamas Junkanoo celebration in Nassau In the less developed outer islands, handicrafts include basketry made from palm fronds. This material, commonly called "straw", is plaited into hats and bags that are popular tourist items. Another use is for so-called "Voodoo dolls," even though such dolls are the result of the American imagination and not based on historic fact.[31] Although not practised by native Bahamians, a form of folk magic obeah derived from West African origins, is practiced in some Family Islands (out-islands) of the Bahamas due to Haitian migration. The practice of obeah is however illegal in the Bahamas and punishable by law[32]. Junkanoo is a traditional African street parade of music, dance, and art held in Nassau (and a few other settlements) every Boxing Day, New Year's Day. Junkanoo is also used to celebrate other holidays and events such as Emancipation Day. Regattas are important social events in many family island settlements. They usually feature one or more days of sailing by old-fashioned work boats, as well as an onshore festival. Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or food of that area, such as the "Pineapple Fest" in Gregory Town, Eleuthera or the "Crab Fest" on Andros. Other significant traditions include story telling. See also Caribbean portal Commonwealth realms portal Main article: Outline of the Bahamas Main article: Transport in the Bahamas Index of Bahamas-related articles List of international rankings Outline of geography Outline of North America Member of Commonwealth of Nations United Nations Organization of American States Caribbean Community References ^ "1973: Bahamas' sun sets on British Empire". BBC News. July 9, 1973. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/9/newsid_2498000/2498835.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-01.  ^ Population estimates for the Bahamas take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. ^ a b c d "The Bahamas". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=313&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=85&pr.y=14. Retrieved 2010-04-21.  ^ "Human Development Report 2009: Bahamas". The United Nations. http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_BHS.html. Retrieved 2009-10-18.  ^ Languages of the Pre-Columbian Antilles by Julian Granberry and Gary Vescelius ^ "Looking for Columbus". Joanne E. Dumene. Five Hundred Magazine. April 1990, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 11–15 ^ Schools Grapple With Columbus's Legacy: Intrepid Explorer or Ruthless Conqueror?. Education Week. October 9, 1991. ^ "Diocesan History". © Copyright 2009 Anglican Communications Department. 2009. http://bahamas.anglican.org/history.php. Retrieved 2009-05-07.  ^ [|Woodard, Colin] (2009). The Republic of Pirates. Harcourt, Inc. pp. 166–168, 262–314. ISBN 978-0-15-603462-3. http://www.republicofpirates.net.  ^ Brown, Daniel (2007-12-17). "Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Noel (28 October - 2 November 2007)". National Hurricane Center. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL162007_Noel.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-25.  ^ Turks and Caicos Isla