The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an island group consisting of around 700 small Islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida and north of the Caribbean. Before being discovered by Christopher Columbus it was populated by around 40.000 indigenous people. It was colonized by British settlers in the 17th century and became a British crown colony in 1717. The Bahamas became self governed in 1964 and gained total independence in 1973, although they remain member of the (British) Commonwealth of Nations.

Inhabitants: 323.000
Area: 14.000 km2
Capital: Nassau (210.000 inhabitants)
Languages: English
Religion: Baptist (32%), Anglican (20%), Roman Catholic (19%), Methodist (6%),
Church of God (6%), other (17%).
GBD per capita: $18.000
Government: Parliamentary democracy (Constitutional monarchy)
Climcate: Subtropical to tropical. Often hit by hurricanes