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The Bahamas is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archipelago's population. The archipelagic state consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, and is located north of Cuba and northwest of the island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the US state of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. The capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force describes The Bahamas' territory as encompassing 470,000 km2 (180,000 sq mi) of ocean space.

The Bahama Islands were inhabited by the Lucayans, a branch of the Arawakan-speaking Taíno, for many centuries. Columbus was the first European to see the islands, making his first landfall in the 'New World' in 1492. Later, the Spanish shipped the native Lucayans to and enslaved them on Hispaniola, after which the Bahama islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648, when English colonists from Bermuda settled on the island of Eleuthera.

The Bahamas became a British crown colony in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy. After the American Revolutionary War, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists to The Bahamas; they took enslaved people with them and established plantations on land grants. African enslaved people and their descendants constituted the majority of the population from this period on. The slave trade was abolished by the British in 1807; slavery in The Bahamas was abolished in 1834. Subsequently, The Bahamas became a haven for freed African slaves. Africans liberated from illegal slave ships were resettled on the islands by the Royal Navy, while some North American slaves and Seminoles escaped to The Bahamas from Florida. Bahamians were even known to recognise the freedom of enslaved people carried by the ships of other nations which reached The Bahamas. Today Afro-Bahamians make up 90% of the population of 332,634.The country gained governmental independence in 1973 led by Sir Lynden O. Pindling, with Elizabeth II as its queen. In terms of gross domestic product per capita, The Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas (following the United States and Canada), with an economy based on tourism and offshore finance.

Foods in Bahamas :
(1) Conch Salad : 

Conch salad (pronounced conk) is a staple of the Bahamian diet. It is a light, refreshing dish. You can have this as an appetizer or with a cool drink on a hot day. Conch salad gives a tasty bite of the Bahamian Islands to your taste buds.It is made with fresh, diced conch and an array of diced fruit and vegetables: onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and tomato. It is seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh lime, and orange juice, and for heat lovers, a few dashes of hot pepper sauce. For more of a tropical twist, some people add fruit such as apple, mango, or pineapple.

(2) Conch Fritters : 

The batter contains chopped conch, onion, bell peppers, celery, salt, and pepper. It is fried until golden brown and served with a dipping sauce of ketchup, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and a bit of hot sauce if desired. 

(3) Cracked Conch : 

In the Bahamas, “cracked” simply means coated in batter and deep fried. Cracked conch can be paired with rice, a tossed salad, or fries. As a side note, a meal that comes with fries and a roll is known as a “snack” here.Coat the tenderized conch in a salt and pepper seasoned batter. Fry until the conch has lightly browned and enjoy this mouthwatering dish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

(3) Johnny Bread/Cake : 

Johnny cake is said to have originated from the native peoples of the Americas who “journeyed” to various island nations of the Caribbean.In the Bahamas, Johnny cake is made from a simple dough which is a cross between a bread and a cake (hence the name). It is baked until golden brown and served with soups or stews, or it can be topped with butter or a bit of a native fruit jam. 

(4) Conch Stew : 

This hearty dish is a scrumptious medley of flavors. It can be an appetizer or a meal in its own right. The aromas of this dish are simply captivating.Strips of tenderized conch are first boiled and a sauce of tomatoes, onions, salt, and pepper is first simmered and then peeled, chopped potatoes and tomato paste are added. Then the conch is added and the whole thing is left to simmer simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Weather & geography in  Bahamas :

The low latitude, warm tropical Gulf Stream, and low elevation give the Bahamas a warm and winterless climate. There is only an 8 °C difference between the warmest month and coolest month in most of the Bahama Islands. Like most tropical climates, seasonal rainfall follows the sun, and summer is the wettest season.In 1864, the Governor of the Bahamas reported that there were 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 rocks in the colony.The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which is also known as the gateway to the Bahamas. Nassa, capital city of the Bahamas, lies on the island of New Providence.All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft). The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia (formerly Como Hill) on Cat Island. It has an elevation of 63 metres (207 ft).

Per day Cost in Bahamas :
You should plan to spend around BS$200 ($200) per day on your vacation in the Bahamas, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, BS$45 ($45) on meals for one day and BS$31 ($31) on local transportation.

History of Bahamas :

The earliest arrival of people in the islands now known as The Bahamas was in the first millennium AD. The first inhabitants of the islands were the Lucayans, an Arawakan-speaking Taino people, who arrived between about 500 and 800 AD from other islands of the Caribbean.Recorded history began on 12 October 1492, when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Guanahani, which he renamed San Salvador Island, on his first voyage to the New World. The earliest permanent European settlement was in 1648 on Eleuthera. During the 18th century slave trade, many Africans were brought to the Bahamas as slaves to work unpaid. Their descendants now constitute 85% of the Bahamian population. The Bahamas gained independence from the United Kingdom on July 10, 1973.