BAHAMAS |
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| The Commonwealth of The
Bahamas is an independent English-speaking nation in the West Indies. An
archipelago of 700 islands and cays (or keys), the Bahamas is located in the
Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida in the United States, north of Cuba and the
rest of the Caribbean, and west of the British dependency of the Turks and
Caicos Islands. |
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Politics
Queen Elizabeth II, is the head of state and the Queen of the Commonwealth
of The Bahamas, which has remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
She is represented in the Bahamas by a Governor General of the Bahamas,
appointed by the monarch herself. Head of government is the prime minister,
usually the leader of the winning party of the elections for the parliament.
The Bahamian parliament consists of two chambers, the Senate (with 16
members) and the House of Assembly (40). Elections are held every 5 years.
Demographics
Most of the Bahamian population is black (85%); about 12% is white. The
official language is English, spoken by virtually all inhabitants, though
many speak a Creole form of it.
A heavily religious country, there are more places of worship per person in
the Bahamas than any other nation in the world. Christianity is the main
religion on the islands, with Baptists forming the largest denomination (about
one third), followed by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.
Many people, especially in the southern and eastern islands, practice obeah,
a spiritistic religion similar to voodoo. It is common for Christians to
involve elements of obeah in their own religions and daily lives. While
popular throughout the Bahamas, obeah is shunned by many whites and people
living in urban areas.
Culture
Bahamanian culture is a hybrid of African, European and indigenous forms.
Perhaps its most famous export is a rhythmic form of music called junkanoo. |
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