The+Bahamas+-+Mercedes+Galt

__** The Bahamas **__ Mercedes Galt

The Flag of the Bahamas was offically adopted on July 10, 1973. The black color represents the strength and will power of the people, yellow the sandy beaches, and the aquamarine blue symbolizes the Carribean Sea.

In July of 2007 there were 305,655 people living in The Bahamas. Almost 60% of that population lives on the island New Providence. Bahamians are mainly of African Decent- 85% are black, and the other 15% are white and mixed. The growth rate is about .602%. The top five most populated cities in the Bahamas in order are; Nassau (the capital), Lucaya, Freeport, West End, Cooper's Town. [] The Bahamas is a chain of about 700 islands and about 2000 cays (low islands or reefs of sand or coral). Out of all the islands only about 30-40 of them are inhabited. It is located in the North Atlantic Ocean on the eastern edge of the Carribean, just 45 miles southeast of Florida.The islands have a total coastline of 1368 sq. miles. The largest city is Nassau. The Absolute Location 24'15 N 76'00 W. [] Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. The Climate of the Country is Tropical Marine; it is moderated by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Its highest point is Mt. Alvernia, which is on Cat Island, standing at 63 m. Its lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean, which stands at 0 m. The Bahamas also have severe weather problems such as; hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage. The islands are surface projections of three Oceanic Banks; The Little Bahama Bank, The Great Bahama Bank, and The Cay Sal Bank. Although some soil is very fertile, it is also very thin. Only a few freshwater lakes and just one river, located on Andros Island, are found in the Bahamas. (Mt. Alvernia) [] The Bahamas has a very similar calendar to U.S's for Holidays. Some of the main hoildays are; Independence Day, Fox Hill Day, Emancipation Day, Labour Day, and Christmas. Independence Day is celebrated on July 10. This Holiday poses as a reminder of the Proclamation of Sovereignty in 1973. The Fox Hill Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday of August. The purpose of this holiday is to celebrate the abolition of slavery, and takes place in the area of Fox Hill, about five miles from Nassau, New Providence. Emancipation Day is celebrated on the first Monday in August. This Holiday commorates the emancipation of British slaves in 1834. Labour Day is celebrated on the first friday in June. It is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Lastly Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. It also includes a celebration called Junkanoo. The participants wear colorful dresses and dance to the rhythmic accompaniment of cowbells, drums and whistles. The most spectacular Junkanoo parade occurs in Nassau. It can also be experienced on Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Bimini and Abaco. [] During weddings they are celebrated that same as in the United States. Although there is one difference, for the engagement, it is a tradition for the man to give the woman's father a letter asking for her hand in marriage, with the ring inside. Because of the short distance from North America the Bahamas celebrate many things very similar to the United States. There may be a few cultural twists on things but those usually differ by family. The close affiliations with the Church filter down into everyday life, customs and etiquette in the Bahamas, with a focus on proper education, kindness, respect, hospitality, and common courtesy. These virtues are inherent in Bahamians, and as such you will find them to be very warm, welcoming and generally very relaxed and easygoing people - also probably in part due to virtually living in a paradise! When visiting the Bahamas, it is therefore good manners and proper etiquette to make a point of exercising the aforementioned virtues – so patience, tolerance and generosity towards others and always saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ should be done without a second thought. However, the conservative influence of the Church in Bahamian life means that you should also be mindful of a few issues, notably public behaviour and the somewhat controversial issue of homosexuality. Public displays of affection such as hugging, handholding and a modest kiss between a man and a woman are acceptable. However, passionate displays or ‘improper’ and aggressively sexual advances towards the other sex will be thought to be vulgar and improper, and could invoke some intervention from the authorities. Although homosexuality is not illegal in the Bahamas, there is still much intolerance towards it, and so it is generally advisable to not engage in any degree of public displays of affection between the same genders whilst staying in the Bahamas. Family is a very important aspect of the culture, and as such children in particular should be seen to be highly respectful of their elders.
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 * Sociology:**

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The upper class consists of wealthy business owners, corporate managers, professionals, high-ranking government officals, and some foreign citizens. The upper class today includes many more residents of African Ancestry, opposed to many years ago. The middle class consists of small business owners, some professionals, civil sercants, and lower-level corporate managers. Most members of this class are of African Ancestry, but some are of European and Asian Ancestry. The lower class is the nation's largest and includes roughly equal numbers of urban and out island residents. Almost all the members of this class are of African Ancestry. Lower-class Bahamians include fisherman, farmers, laborers, skilled tradespeople, and others who do low-status physical work. Some have highs school diplomas, but many have lower levels of education and are perceived as poor but respectable. The lowest class in an underclass that consists of the chronically unemployed and Haitian refugees. Most members of the underclass live in the least desirable and respectable sections of Nassau metropolitan area. The are found in smaller numbers in some out-island communities. Marriages are monogamous. In many out-island settlements, the options are marriage and extraresidential unions. In larger towns and cities, consensual unions exist. People are free to select their spouses. Church weddings follow brief engagements. In principle, one should not marry a blood relative, but in small communities marriages between kin more distantly related than first cousins are common. In white-dominated out-island settlements, interracial marriages are stigmatized. Both partners are expected to contribute financially to a marriage. Divorces are available, although many couples simply drift apart and never legally terminate the union. There is no stigma attached to remarriage. A sexual double standard exists in which women are supposed to be chaste until marriage and faithful during marriage whereas men are expected to have premarital and extramarital affairs. Men are widely seen as inherently promiscuous. ======

The Bahamas is an Parlimentary Democracy. Which means that the political power is held by an elected parliment representing the people. Election to govern with the elected candidate representing the combine will of the constituents who elected them to office. The Bahamas is a part of the Commonwealth Nation, and a Commonwealth realm with Queen Elizabeth II and the head of state. They have a 41 member House of Assembly with members elected from single-member districts, and a 16-member Senate, with members appointed by the governor-general, including nine on the advice of the prime minister, four on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and three on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. Although The Bahamas is not geographically located in the Caribbean, it is a member of the Carribean Community. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English Law.
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Most consumer goods are imported. Farming is unimprtant except for a small amount of subsistence gardening in out-island settlements. Tourism accounts for about half the gross domestic product and nearly hald of all jobs. The annual per capita income is approximately $21,307, there is little taxation, inflation ranges between 5 and 10 percent, and the unemployment rate is 15 to 20 percent. The national currency is known as the Bahamian dollar. Commercial farming of cotton, pineapples, and sisal has had little success. Commercial fishing is moderately important, with most of the catch frozen and exported. Sponge fishing is nearly defunct. Cottage industries that produce straw,, shells and wooden items cater to local residents and tourists. Hotels, casinos, resturants, and sport fishing businesses are common. Its natural resources are salt, aragonite, timber, arable land. Its exports are mineral products and salt, rum, animal products, chemicals, fruits, and vegetables. Its imports are mineral products and salt, rum, animal products, chemicals, fruits, and vegetables. I think my country is a developed country because it is a great place for people to visit, and they are pretty stable. They also have a good government. They are also pretty settled in with how they are. []
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 * ======**Sports:**======

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The most popular sports of The Bahamas are Rugby, Sailing, Soccer, and Surfing. Rugby is a full contact sport played by two teams each with thirteen players on them. This sport is simliar to football. Sailing is both physically and mentally tough, you compete against many other sailors in a race to the finish line. Soccer is a game involving two teams each consiting of 11 players and they play against eachother trying to score in the opponents goal. Surfing is a sport that takes much skill. The point of it is to ride a surfboard towards the shore on the crest of a wave.====== [] Clothing attire is very similar to what we were in the United States. For buissness atire women and men both generally wear a suit to the office. For school clothes both boys are girls wear uniforms. The girls typically wear skirts and blouses. Boys usually wear slacks, dress shirt, and a tie. The colors vary by school. Casual attire is generally jeans, t-shirts, polo shirts, tennis shoes, skirts, khaki pants, shorts, and flip flops. [] The offical language of the bahamians is English, but it generally has a little Carribean twist to it. Also, the locals combine British English with language taken from their native African, Irish, or Scottish heritage. The islands' Haitian residents also speak Creole.
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There are many hobbies in the Bahamas. Some of them include golfing, beaches, snorkeling, windsurfing, fishing, parasailing, diving, etc. Almost anything involving water is a common hobby in the Bahamas, with so much open water, and free time. Beaches are a popular place to go because of the variety of things to do at them and have fun at the same time! Snorkeling is a common visited attraction of tourists, viewing the wildlife from the way they view it. Parasailing, is going above the water in a parasail.
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Marina Gottlieb Sarles is a storyteller who grew up in the bahamas. She has wrote many books, but her lastest book "Sand in My Shoes" gives the view of the island from a person who lives on it, rather than a tourist.
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Movies are a great pastime in the Bahamas. Many movie directors choose to shoot parts of their movies in this beautiful island. Films that filmed in Bahamian locations include Pirates of the Caribbean II & III, The Outsider, Silence of the Lambs, Cocoon I & II, Flipper, Thunderball, Splash, Never Say Never Again, Zeus and Roxanne, Jaws the Revenge and Speed 2. Also Sidney Poitier, and Oscar winner for Best Actor in 1963 for "Lillies of the Field" and also a winner of an Honorary Award in 2002, was an Ambassador for the Bahamas to Japan.
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Music that is popular in Bahamas is similar to the United States. But Raggae is very popular in The Bahamas. In 2001, the Bahamian group "Baha Men" won a Grammy Award in the dance-recording category for their hit "Who Let the Dogs Out." []
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They're are three main ethnic groups in The Bahamas. Eighty-five percent of Bahamians are African-American. Twelve percent of Bahamians are European. Lastly, three percent is Asian and Hispanic. In the Bahamas there are many different languages but there are about eight more prominent ones. The most prominent one is Baptist, which is thirty-five percent of the Bahamian culture. The other sixty-five percent is mostly made up of Roman Catholics, Anglican, Evangelical Protestants, Methodists, Church of God, Rastafarian, and lastly Traditional African. In the Bahamas one very believed and cherished belief is abstinance (before marriage). ahamians take religion seriously. It is not uncommon for everyday speech to the peppered with verses from the Bible and government programs or events and opened with short prayers. Sunday is a day for church going and prayer. People dress up in their best clothes to attend religious services.
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 * Problems:**
 * 1.** Coral Reef Decay
 * 2.** Solid Waste Disposal
 * 3.** Immigration
 * 4.** Recycling
 * 5.** Urbanization


 * Solutions:**
 * 1.** People can help the coral reefs but at least trying not to put hazordous chemicals in the waters, and watch the amount of travel around them.
 * 2.** By not throwing so much away it can help with solid waste disposal, or even by recycling.
 * 3.** Put stricter rules on immigration laws. Enforce the laws that are already in place.
 * 4.** Give each community there own recycling bins, or have a "recycling day" weekly, just like "garbage day"
 * 5.** As more things are getting newer and more advanced, we are polluting the air even more. So people can change things in there everyday life and become more green to help the entire planet.


 * Questions:**
 * 1.** Is the Bahamas majorly effected and influenced by the United States?
 * 2.** Are there more African American or European people in the Bahamas?
 * 3.** Do the Bahamas have lot of water recreation as sports?
 * 4.** Is Religion important to the Bahamians?
 * 5.** Is the Bahamas a developed or a developing country?


 * Answers:**
 * 1.** The Bahamians are majorly affected and influenced by the United States, a lot of things are similar.
 * 2.** There are more African American people in the Bahamas rather than European people. Specifically, there are 85% of Bahamians are African American.
 * 3.** Most of their sports are water recreational sports because of the great amount of water avaliable.
 * 4.** Religion is very important to Bahamians, thier everyday lives are based on religion.
 * 5.** The Bahamas is a developed country.


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