From February 28-March 3, 2010, all the energy, beauty, and friendliness of the Caribbean’s
hottest destination will welcome LACMA members
to a fun and exciting convention.
A bit of history
Although the exact landing site is disputed, most historians agree that the Bahamas was the first territory in the New World discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, whose crews were welcomed by a people they called the Lucayans. However, it wasn’t until a century and-a-half later, in 1647, that the first permanent European settlement on the islands was founded by a group of English puritans from Bermuda.
The islands latter became a popular hideout for many French and English pirates, who declared a “republic” of their own in the 17th century. Law and order was reestablished in the Bahamas when the English crown declared the archipelago a British Crown Colony in 1717. Briefly falling under Spanish rule in 1782, the islands were liberated by royal colonists escaping from the American Revolution, who brought their slaves with them. An attempt to establish a large-scale plantation system based on cotton failed due to the archipelago’s rocky and thin soil. Slave trade ended in this and other British territories in 1807 and slaves were emancipated in 1834. The Bahamas became a fully-independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations on July 10th, 1973.
Geography and climate
From space, the territory of the Bahamas resembles a group of irregularshaped jewels spread over a turquoise-colored sea of clear waters. The approximately 700 islands, cays and atolls that comprise the Bahamian archipelago cover an area of 13,940 square kilometers, strategically located in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Florida and Cuba. The largest island, Andros Island, is situated 190 kilometers from the Floridian coast.
The Bahamian archipelago is the projection of the three Bahama Banks: Little Bahama, Grand Bahama, and the Cay Sal Bank – submerged carbonate platforms developed during the Jurassic period. Whereas most of the cays and atolls of the archipelago are just a few meters above sea level, the highest point in The Bahamas is Mount Alvernia – only 70 meters above sea level.
The Bahamas enjoys a semi-tropical weather moderated by the steams of the Gulf of Mexico. During summer,
when temperatures range between 21and 34 ºC, the weather is dominated by the warm, humid air masses of the Caribbean. During the winter months, the temperature normally ranges between 15 and 24ºC, although it could get as cold as 3ºC.
Culture
Bahamian culture is the result of the combination of African and European influences, although modern U.S. culture has become more visible on the islands due to their proximity to the North American mainland and to the development of tourism in recent decades. English plantation owners and servants, Black slaves from West Africa, and crown loyalists escaping from the American Revolution combined their backgrounds, talents, and genes to create one of the most prosperous countries in the Caribbean.
One of the most popular cultural festivals is Junkanoo, when thousands of people in ornate and colorful costumes and headdresses dance in the streets to rhythmic Bahamian music. This cultural event has spurred numerous smaller festivals throughout the islands over the year, but the biggest celebration takes place each Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day.
Bahamians, who exhibit a good sense of humor, love to dance to the rhythm of calypso and soca at parties and special events, but consider their Christian principles one of the strongest elements of their rich cultural heritage.
Tourism
No one can deny that The Bahamas are a synonymous of top-quality tourism opportunities. This thriving industry started to develop with the construction of the country’s first international airport after World War II and encompasses a rather strong cruise ship sector that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The leisure industry is, by far, the most important economic sector in The Bahamas, accounting for approximately half of its Gross Domestic Product and employing nearly 50% of the workforce.
The city of Nassau, located on New Providence Island, is the capital of The Bahamas. The home of 260,000 people, it is a thriving city filled with glittering hotels, casinos, resorts, numerous international banks, and boutiques offering virtually all of the world’s most exclusive name brands. The city is 16 km (10 miles) west if the Lynden Pindling International Airport, the busiest in the Caribbean.
The Bahamian archipelago is the projection
of the three Bahama Banks:
Little Bahama, Grand Bahama, and the Cay Sal Bank.
