The Bahamas Researched via: Student Name: Martel Decoteau Date: 6/8/10

Where is Bahamas located? It is located at the north-east of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominica n Republic and Haiti) and the Caribbean Sea, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States of America (nearest to the state of Florida). Its total land area is almost km², with an estimated population of 330,000. Its capital is Nassau.

Flag, Motto, Anthem: March on, Bahamaland Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland, March on to glory, your bright banners waving high,See how the world marks the manner of your bearing; Pledge to excel thro' love and unity. Pressing onward, march together, to a common loftier goal; Steady sunward tho' the weather hide the wide and treacherous shoal. Lift up your head to the rising sun, Bahamaland,'til the road you've trod lead unto your God, March on Bahamaland. "Forward, Upward, Onward Together"

History: Taino people moved into the uninhabited southern Bahamas from Hispaniola and Cuba around the 11th century AD. These people came to be known as the Lucayans. There were an estimated 30,000+ Lucayans at the time of Columbus's arrival in 1492.Christopher Columbus's first landfall in the New World was on an island named San Salvador (known to the Lucayans as Guanahani), which is generally accepted to be present-day San Salvador Island, (also known as Watling's Island) in the southeastern Bahamas.

Economy: As one of the most prosperous county in the Caribbean region, the Bahamas relies on tourism to generate most of their 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. 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.

Famous people/role model: Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) Mychal George Thompson is a retired American professional basketball player of the NBA. Thompson played both the power forward and center positions and played for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.

What do you like the most about Bahamas? Blue Lagoon Island Prior to the late 1800s the island's lagoon was a salt marsh and was referred to legally as Salt Cay. The Island became a stopover for pirates and privateers who used the island to cull salt from the lagoon to preserve their food and as a rest stop while they waited for permission to enter Nassau Harbor.In 1875, Charles King-Harmon, an Englishman who was later knighted and became Governor of Cyprus, bought the island from the British Crown for 35 Pounds. He owned it for 11 years, until he sold it to a Bahamian, Sir Augustus John Adderley, for 105 British Pounds. Adderley kept it for six years. Two Americans who wanted to cultivate corn and vegetables offered him 145 Pounds. The farming effort failed and in 1902 they sold it to Abraham Van Winkle for a ten Pounds loss (135 British Pounds).