Bahamas Travel Guide - Key Facts

Caribbean, southeast of Florida.

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

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

321,000 (UN estimate 2005).

23 per sq km.

Nassau. Population: 222,000 (UN estimate 2003).

The Bahamas consist of 700 low-lying islands, mostly islets (cays or keys) and rocks. The whole archipelago extends 970km (500 miles) southeastward from the coast of Florida, surrounded by clear, colourful waters. The soil is thin, but on the more developed islands, cultivation has produced exotic flowers. On other islands are large areas of pine forest, rocky and barren land, swamp and unspoilt beaches. The Bahamas are divided into two oceanic features, the Little Bahama Bank and the Great Bahama Bank.

Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence in 1973.

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

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, since May 2007.

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.

The official and national language is English.

The three main Christian denominations are Baptist, Anglican and Roman Catholic.

110 volts AC, 60Hz.

The pace of life is generally leisurely. Informal wear is acceptable in the resorts with some degree of dressing up in the evenings, particularly for dining, dancing and casinos in Nassau or Freeport. Further from the main towns, dress is more casual, although there is still a tendency to dress up at night. Small outposts like Green Turtle Cay, for example, will not require more than a shirt and long trousers. It is not acceptable to wear beachwear in towns.