Is Bahamas a Country?
Yes, The Bahamas, also known as the ‘Commonwealth of the Bahamas’, is a country. The name Bahamas comes from the Spanish word ‘Baha Mar’ meaning ‘Shallow Sea’.
The Bahamas is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy and is headed by Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by a Governor-General. The country is a member of The Commonwealth and all legislative powers vests with the bicameral parliament comprising House of Assembly (lower house) and Senate (upper house). The government is headed by a Prime Minister.
The Bahamas maintains Royal Bahamas Defence Force along with its own Air and Naval wings. The official currency is the Bahamian Dollar and the spoken language is Bahamian Creole.
To enter Bahamas, a passport is required. Visa is not required for citizens of certain countries but for all others, it is mandatory.
Here are some countries whose citizens do not require a Visa:
• USA
• UK
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Australia
• Austria
• Bangladesh
• China
• Sri Lanka
• Malaysia
• Romania
• Russia
• And several Caribbean and South American countries
These are some of the countries that do require a Visa:
• India
• Indonesia
• Pakistan
• Bhutan
• Nepal
• Thailand
• Philippines
• UAE
• Saudi Arabia
About The Bahamas
The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands that was inhabited by Lucayan Indians before Christopher Columbus first arrived in the New World island of San Salvador in 1492. British settlers began arriving in 1647 and by 1783, it officially became a British colony. The country won its independence on 10 July 1973 and has since emerged as a major destination for tourism, offshore banking, and investment management.
The total area is 5359 sq miles; land area – 3865 sq miles; water – 1494 sq miles. With moderate average temperature throughout the year and a long coastline of 2201 miles, cruise-based tourism remains a major attraction and revenue generator for the country.
As per July 2016 estimates, the population is 327,316. Of these, local black people – 90.6%, white – 4.7%, black and white – 2.1%, other – 1.9%, unspecified – 0.7%, as per 2010 data.
The country does not offer citizenship by birth and only allows citizenship by descent where at least one parent is a citizen of The Bahamas.
The GDP (PPP) as per 2016 estimates was $9.066 billion. Tourism accounts for 60% of the GDP; financial and investment services – 35%; manufacturing and agriculture form a small part of the economy.
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