The Bahamas is made up of 700 Islands & keys with a large amount of its population inhabiting the capital Island of New Providence and the countries second city of Grand Bahama. The Bahamas is a democratic nation that is economically and politically stable and is a member of The Commonwealth. The language spoken by Bahamians is English or a Bahamian dialect. The currency is the Bahamian dollar that is equivalent to the U.S dollar so American visitors will not have to change their currencies.
On the islands of The Bahamas one can enjoy the breath taking beaches near luxurious hotels, restaurants, shops particularly the straw market where hand craft items are sold and where local artist can display paintings and hand crafted jewellery and many more. The Bahamas is very rich in culture with the natives using everything that the Islands have to offer whether it’s delicacies from the sea or the land that complements our Bahamian dishes such as conch salad ,fried snapper, grilled grouper fish, Guava Duff Coconut, pine apple tarts, peanut cakes and many more. Most of the traditions handed down to its inhabitants are from their African ancestor’s one can find such information from local story tellers, museum or even visit historical sites such as fort fin castle, fort charlotte, Clifton Heritage Park and many other sites with the Island’s history embedded into it.
There are many events held on each one of the islands such as home coming celebrations, family island regattas that features boat races, music, dancing contests, concerts and food each Island offering something a bit different from the other, but the biggest cultural event that every Bahamian looks forward to each year is a cultural festival called Junkanoo. Junkanoo is a street carnival that is held twice a year for New Year’s Day and Boxing Day it’s an African tradition passed down from generation to generation and has widely grown with vibrant costumes rhythmic music from goat skin drums, cowbell whistles and horns that make the listener sway to the mesmerizing sounds, free style and choreographed dancing from participants and visitors alike from the late hours of the night to the early morning hours. The biggest parades are held in New Providence but each Island partakes in this cultural event during this time.