Part of the Lucayan archipelago of the West Indies. Consists of >3000 islands, cays and islets extending from Florida to the northern edge of the Caribbean.
All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m. The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia (formerly Como Hill) on Cat Island at 64 m.

The original occupants of the Bahamas islands were known as the Lucayan Tainos. The Tainos migrated to the Bahamas from the Dominican Republic and Cuba by boat sometime in the 12th century. In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World, allegedly in these islands, they were subsequently occupied by the French, Dutch and Spanish before becoming a British colony in 1717. The Bahamas became an independent nation within the British Commonwealth on July 10, 1973.

The name Bahamas comes from the Spanish term “baja mar” which means shallow sea in Spanish. As seen in any satellite image, the water around the Bahamas is indeed shallow. Andros Barrier Reef, located off the east coast of Andros Island, is 190 miles long. This massive living organism is unique even among other barrier reefs due to its rare depth of 6,000 feet – though much of it remains visible near the surface. In terms of size, the barrier reef located within the Bahamas at Andros ranks 3rd in comparison to others found around the world. It measures 190 miles (305 kilometers) long and is home to a large variety of marine life, with over 164 species of fish and coral.

The majestic blue marlin is a national symbol and described in “the Old Man and the Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway who often visited the island of Bimini. The species is listed now as ‘Vulnerable’ on IUCNRedList but there are signs of pop recovery via vital satellite tagging projects.