The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an English-speaking, democratic, independent nation since July 10th, 1973.
It is a member of the Commonwealth, the United Nations, the Caribbean Community, and the American States.
The Bahamas consists of a 750-mile-long chain of 700 islands. About 30 of the Bahamas islands are inhabited.
The nation's capital is Nassau, located at New Providence Island, and the island of Grand Bahama is the industrial centre with one of the largest seaports in the hemisphere.
The other inhabited islets are collectively called the "Family Islands" or "Out Islands."
The Bahamas is approximately 25 minutes by air and 3 hours by sea vessel to Florida, United States.
The population of the Bahamas is approximately 382,000.
The form of government is a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses; The Senate and the House of Assembly. The Head of the State is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor-General.