Bahamas
Sun, Sand and Sea
Strewn over a vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, the Bahamas bask in breezy, semi-tropical sunshine. Out of about 700 islands, around 100 are at least minimally inhabited, though only a few dozen have vacation facilities. Another 2,400 smaller cays (pronounced "keys") are blissfully deserted. Nassau, on New Providence Island, the capital city of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and Freeport on Grand Bahama Island are the main population centres.
Starting as close as 80 km (50 miles) to the Florida coast, the archipelago swoops southeast for 1000 km (600 miles) almost to Haiti and eastern Cuba. This strategic location along the major shipping routes between the Caribbean and North America has been a crucial factor in the history of the islands. Ever since Christopher Columbus came ashore on the Bahamian island of San Salvador in 1492 (the actual landfall is contested), wreckers, pirates, rum runners and modern smugglers have been among those who found the thousands of reefs, cays and coves useful.
The great glory of these islands is the incredible sea lapping their shores. The water is so clear you hardly need a snorkel mask to enjoy the astonishing array of marine life at countless coral reefs. Some of the dive scenes in the James Bond blockbusters were filmed in these waters. Divers can explore fish-filled holes and seek the wrecks of the many treasure ships which came to grief over centuries in the treacherous shoals of what the Spaniards called baja mar (shallow sea). From that came the anglicized name, Bahamas.
Tourism is overwhelmingly the nation's biggest business. Nassau, Paradise Island and Freeport have been specifically designed for holiday pleasure and are jam-packed much of the time with visitors determinedly pursuing it. Yachts glide gingerly into cluttered marinas; barefoot children cruise resort beaches hawking shell necklaces to row upon row of glistening sunbathers; camera-clicking holiday-makers bob and sway in overworked glass-bottom boats; honeymooners hold hands (and their breath) as the casino roulette wheels spin on and on.
And while there's plenty of goodwill about being helpful to tourists, there is rarely any great hurry about getting things done. "We have three speeds," you may hear a Bahamian explain, "slow, stop and reverse".
