The Country

Geography:
 

The Bahamas is an archipelago of approximately 700 flat, lowlying islands in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is located between 72° to 79° western geographic longitude and 21° to 27° northern geographic latitude and extends from eighty kilometers east of Florida to eighty kilometers northeast of Cuba. In addition to the United States and Cuba, neighbors of the Bahamas include Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands; both are located to the southeast of the Bahamas.

The Tropic of Cancer runs through the middle of the archipelago, passing across the lower part of Great Exuma Island and the upper part of Long Island. Although the total area of the archipelago is 13,939 square kilometers (5380 square miles), the islands are sprawled over an area of approximately 259,000 square kilometers.

The islands are surface projections of two oceanic banks, the Little Bahama Bank and the Great Bahama Bank. The highest point is only sixty-three meters above sea level on Cat Island; the island of New Providence, where the capital city of Nassau (77°22' W and 25°03' N) is located, reaches a maximum elevation of only thirty-seven meters.

National History:
Summary Narrative History

Key Dates:
12 October 1492		Christopher Columbus arrived on the island of Samana Cay/The Bahamas and made it a Spanish colony.
1649		The town of Eleuthera was founded as first permanent settlement.
1833		The Abolition of Slavery Act of 1833 and the termination of post-abolition apprentice- ships and indentured servanthood in 1838 marked the end of slavery in the Bahamas.
1967		Lynden Pindling of the PLP was elected Prime Minister and won five subsequent elections.
10 July 1973		The Bahamas became an independent nation.
August 1992		Hubert Ingraham of the FNM became Prime Minister.
May 2002		The PLP resumed control of the government with an overwhelming majority in the House of Assembly. The current premier is Perry Christie.

 

Further National Information:
Yahoo Bahamas page

Columbus World Travel Guide - Caribbean - The Bahamas

Library of Congress / Area Handbook Series / The Bahamas

Bahamas Guide

Civil Aircraft Registrations:
The registration prefix 'VP-B' was used until 1973; eg:VP-BAA to BZZ.

The registration prefix 'C6-' is used from 1973 to present;  eg:C6-??? to ???.

Military Air Arms:
Air Force (Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Air Wing)

Central Government Agencies:
To be added

Public Service Aviation:
To be added

Commercial Aviation:
Bahamasair

Aircraft Manufacturers:
None at present

Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-

Civil Airports and Airfields Listing
 

Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing

Aviation Museums:
None at present

Aviation-Related Magazines:
None at present

Aviation Bibliography:

Central American and Caribbean Air Forces (Daniel Hagedorn)