2. Angela Ashton March 10, 2013

3. * Christopher Columbus made his first landing here in 1492. * The Lucayan Indians, also known as Arawaks, settled here before being enslaved by Columbus. * A democratic government was formed and abolished in 1717. * The Commonwealth of The Bahamas consists of 700 islands and nearly 2,500 cays. Only 40 islands are occupied by humans. * The capital is Nassau, which is located on New Providence Island. * 85% of the Bahamian population is of African heritage.

4. * The Bahamas became an independent nation on July 10, 1973. * Tourism, real estate, and manufacturing/construction are the three main income producing areas. * Agricultural and industrial sectors are relatively smaller industries in The Bahamas. * There is no income tax and no substantial property tax in The Bahamas. * National bird is the Flamingo; National Flower is the Yellow Elder National Tree: Lignum Vitae; National Fish is the Blue Marlin.

5. Census YearPopulationPercent GrowthAverage Annual Growth 190153,73512.971.3 191155, 9444.110.4 192153,031-5.21-0.6 193159,82812.821.2 194368,84615.071.2 195384,84123.232.0 1963130,22053.494.4 1970168,81229.643.8 1980209,50524.112.2 1990255,04921.742.0 2000303,61119.041.8 2010351,46115.81.6

6. * Number one tourist attraction in the Bahamas. * One of the best Bahamas beaches. * Casinos, restaurants, and hotels line the beach. * Filled with tropical trees such as coconut, casuarinas and sea grape.

7. * The largest island in the Bahamas. * Considered the Bahamas’ natural wonder. * A great place for a wedding or honeymoon. * The ideal vacation destination. * Number two tourist attraction in the Bahamas.

8. * Named after the Lucayans, the original inhabitants of the Bahamas. * Has one of the longest charted underwater cave systems in the world, more than 6 miles. * The park is filled with mangrove, palm & pine trees, beautiful white sand beaches, and underwater limestone caves.

10. In August, my family and I will be taking a 7 day cruise to The Bahamas on the Carnival Pride.

11. * Kelsie Dorsett. “Department of Statistics of the Bahamas.” 2013. http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs (March 7,2013). http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs * Commonwealth of Nations. “Brief History of The Bahamas.” 1998-2013. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/The-Bahamas- history (March 7, 2013) http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/The-Bahamas- history * The Bahamian. “The Islands of the Bahamas.” 2001-2013. http://islands.TheBahamian.com (March 1, 2013) http://islands.TheBahamian.com * World Tourist Attractions. “5 Top Tourist Attractions in Bahamas.” 2011. www.thetouristattractions.blogspot.com (March 7, 2013) www.thetouristattractions.blogspot.com * Google. “Google Images.” 2013. www.google.com (March 1, 2013)www.google.com