By: Katie Frericks and Jenny Tran

Cyclura Cychlura Inornata an endangered subspecies of the Northern Bahamian Rock Iguaga that is found on Allen Clay in the Bahamas

Lemon Shark A shark belonging to the Carcharhinidae family that can grow 10 feet (3.0 m) long.

Yellow Crowned Heron A nocturnal heron of the southern swamps and coasts, the Yellow- crowned Night-Heron can also be found breeding along wooded streams northward to Indiana and Illinois.

Popular Authors Nicole Fair-Traveling Tree (Novel) Carole Hughes-Who Let the Dog Out? (Novel) John Thompson-Island of the Sun (Novel)

Government The Bahamas is governed by an old Parliament Democracy with a Prime Minster as the head of the Executive Branch. Over 270 years of uninterrupted change in form of government makes The Bahamas one of the most stable countries in the world. Prior to it's independence in 1973, The Commonwealth of The Bahamas was a British Colony.

Nassau, Bahamas The Bahamian capital is a city rich in beauty, history, and personality. Since its founding in 1656, and through the ages of colonialism, piracy, rum-smuggling, and now tourism, it has always been the center of color and culture in the islands.

Lucaya/Freeport Freeport/Lucaya, the island’s capital city and the second largest city in the islands, is one of the best- known destinations in the Bahamas. The city was specifically designed for the tourist trade, and as a result features terrific duty-free shopping and many attractions to keep visitors entertained and enthralled.

Cooper’s Town The third largest island of the Bahamas. It was settled in the 1870s by the Cooper family from Grand Bahama. Early industry included pineapple and sea- sponge harvesting, but both industries have dwindled over the last century.

Versailles Gardens

Rose Lawn Museum

Queens Staircase

History of the Bahamas Documented Bahamian history begins with the words, "Baja Mar," the name the Spanish bestowed on the islands. This term is misleading, however; it means "shallow sea," but the islands are really mountain plateaus that emerged from the Atlantic hundreds of thousands of years ago. As they grew, they hosted countless generations of coral, which today comprise the islands' limestone base.

Food Boiled fish and grits is a favorite breakfast. Boiled fish is also delicious served with homemade Island bread. Grouper is the most popular fish used for boiling. Bahamians are experts at cooking this fish which is flaky, white, tender and mild in flavor. Conch (pronounced 'konk'), is a mollusk (shell fish like an oyster), is a perennial local seafood favorite. Unlike the slimy oyster the meat of conch is firm and white and is prepared in a variety of ways including conch chowder, conch stew, conch salad, popular conch fritters, and is also deep fried as "cracked conch". A typical Bahamian meal consists of crab and rice, delicious steamed fish, served with baked macaroni and cheese and a good helping of potato salad. This is followed by desserts such as coconut or pineapple tart, bread pudding or guava duff, a delicious dessert that is made through a laborious process of folding the fruit into the dough and boiling and is served with a sauce.

Bibliography 8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&safe=on 8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&safe=on