Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream. Weather today: click here for intellicast weather forecast. Overview: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is an independent nation in the West Indies. An archipelago of 700 islands and cays (which are small islands) make up the Bahamas. Accommodations: Many first class hotels with a full range of modern facilities. The Bahamas even includes private island resort like Little Whale Cay in the Berry Islands. Some budget Hotels and guest houses are also available. Activities: swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, golf, tennis, horse ridding, cricket. Time: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time). Daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November. Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba. Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N, 76 00 W. Highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m. Currency: Bahamian dollar (BSD). Exchange rates: 1 Bahamian dollars per US dollar. US dollars are accepted interchangeably throughout the islands. Credit cards: widely accepted. Costs of living: higher than in the United States. Value for money is poor. Tipping: Tip is generally 15%. Many establishments include the gratuity in their bills. Entry Requirements: The Islands of the Bahamas Implements the Same Entry Requirements as the United States Extension of stay: Visitors may apply to the Bahamas Immigration Department for extensions of stay. Airport: Nassau International Airport (NAS). The airport is situated
16km (10 miles) west of Nassau on New Providence Island. Head west on West
Bay Street to Blake Road which leads to JFK Drive. Take a right turn on
JFK and the airport is about 3km (2 miles) on the left-hand side. The airport
is well sign-posted from Nassau.
Tax: Airport departure tax is US$ 15. There are no income taxes. Most taxes in the Bahamas consist of duties. Ports and harbors: Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point. Ferries: A high speed, daily ferry link between Nassau and North Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Governers Harbour. The old mail boat system connecting the 14 inhabited islands of The Bahamas to the capital Nassau. Many mail boats travel through the night. Land Transportation: Getting around in Nassau/Paradise Island, Grand Bahama Island and most of the Out Islands is easy. The various modes of on-Island transportation include rental cars, taxis (which are plentiful) buses (called jitneys) which for a small fare can take you to and from many locations, motorbikes (mopeds), and bicycles. Driving is on the left. Electricity: 120 volts, 60 cycles AC. American plugs. Telephone: the international dialling code for The Bahamas is +1 242 followed by seven digits. On the island, use the seven digits alone. Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy. Legal system: based on English common law. Ethnic groups: black 85 %, white 12 %, Asian and Hispanic 3 %. Religions: Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census). Literacy: 95.6 % (male: 94.7 %, female: 96.5%). Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe. Agriculture-products: citrus, vegetables; poultry. Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, arable land. GDP - per capita: US$ 22,700 (2007 est.). Unemployment rate: 7.6 % (2006 est.). |
