Bahamas Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba.

Language

English is the official language. Bahamian patois is widely spoken.

Area

13,939 sq km (5,382 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT - 5 (GMT - 4 from first Sunday in April to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

120-volts AC, 60Hz. US-style plug sockets and outlets are standard.

Population

305,655 (2007).

Population Density

21.9 per sq km.

Capital City

Nassau. Population: 331,000 (2007).

Government

Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from Great Britain in 1973.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, since May 2007.

Head of State

HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor-General Arthur D Hanna since 2006.

Religion

Predominantly Christian with Baptist, Anglican and Roman Catholic the main denominations and Methodist, Church of God and other Protestant faiths minority groups.

Recent History

Hubert Ingraham of the Free National Movement (FNM) won parliamentary elections in May 2007, ousting the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). Ingraham, a lawyer, served two terms as prime minister between 1992 and 2002. The FNM had campaigned on issues of trust, criticising the ruling PLP over a series of scandals. Ingraham's predecessor, Perry Christie, took office in May 2002.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +1 242. Phone cards are sold island-wide for discounted international calls.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with a few international mobile phone companies. Coverage is average. Handsets can be hired locally and prepaid SIM cards are sold.

Internet

Many hotels have Internet access and there are plenty of Internet cafes, as well as a few Wi-Fi hotspots. Only 30% of the population is connected, despite growing e-commerce activities.

Media

A US report, entitled Freedom of the Press 2008: A Global Survey of Media Independence, assessed the degree of press freedom in the Bahamas to rank it 37th in the world.

Although the constitution of the Bahamas guarantees press freedom, pressure has been applied to the media in the past. Newspapers and magazines are mostly privately owned with the government operating a radio network. It also runs the island's only TV service.

Post

Postal service to Europe takes up to 10 days.Mon-Fri 0900-1700 and Sat 0900-1230.

Press

• The four daily newspapers are The Bahama Journal, Freeport News, The Nassau Guardian, and The Tribune.
• The Punch is published twice a week.
• Both Bahamas Tourist News and What's On Magazine are printed once a month.
• International newspapers are available.

Radio

• Private and commercial stations include Love 97 FM and 100 Jamz.
• ZNS Bahamas, run by BCB, oversees Inspiration 1240, Northern Service, Power 104.5 and Radio Bahamas.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
3 Jun Labor Day
13 Jun Whit Monday
10 Jul Independence Day
3 Aug Emancipation Day
12 Oct National Heroes’ Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
28 May Whit Monday
1 Jun Labor Day
10 Jul Independence Day
6 Aug Emancipation Day
12 Oct National Heroes’ Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

Contact Information

Bahamas High Commission in the UK

10 Chesterfield Street, London W1J 5JL, UK
Tel: (020) 7408 4488 or 7659 0829 (visa enquiries).
Website: www.bahamas.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1730.

Bahamas Tourist Office in the UK

10 Chesterfield Street, London W1J 5JL, UK
Tel: (020) 7355 0800.
Website: www.bahamas.co.uk

Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in the USA

2220 Massachussetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 319 2667.
E-mail: bahemb@aol.com

Bahamas Tourist Office in the USA

60 East 42nd Street, Suite 1850, New York, NY 10165, USA
Tel: (212) 758 2777.
Website: www.bahamas.com

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism

PO Box N-3701, Nassau, Bahamas
Tel: 302 2000.
Website: www.bahamas.com

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK

22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.caribbean.co.uk