What Continent Is The Bahamas In?
The Bahamas is an island chain country located in the Lucayan archipelago with over 700 cays, islands, and islets within the Atlantic Ocean. The Bahamas occupies over 3,864.9 square miles of land and approximately 1,492 square miles of water for a total of 5,358.32 square miles. Although the Bahamas is situated in the Caribbean region of North America, it is located in the Atlantic ocean and not the Caribbean Sea.
Geography of the Bahamas
The Bahamas is a group of beautiful islands located in the Caribbean. These islands are located to the northern side of Hispaniola and Cuba, the eastern side of the Florida Keys, the southeastern side of the state of Florida, and the northwestern side of Caicos and Turks islands.
The main islands in the Bahamas include Andros, San Salvador, Cat Island, Eleuthera, and the Grand Bahamas. Great Inagua island is the southernmost island and the 8th largest island in the Caribbean occupying 596 square miles. Conception Island is the smallest island in Bahamas and 113th largest island in the Caribbean.
The Bahamas in North America
The Caribbean is considered to be a sub-continent of North America which is located in the southeastern part of North America. North America is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the south and west, the Caribbean Sea and South America on the southeast, Atlantic Ocean to the eastern side and on the north it is bordered by the Arctic Ocean. Occupying over 9,540,000 square miles, this is the 3rd biggest continent.
With a population of 579 million, North America is the 4th highly populated continent on Earth after Europe, Africa, and Asia. The most highly populated nation in the continent is the United States followed by Mexico and then Canada. The population of the Caribbean islands was 43,601,839 as of 2016, which was about 7.5% of the people living in North America. The Bahamas is the 18th most populated country in this continent with a population of 379,000 which is approximately 0.07% of the people living in North America.
The Bahamas
The origin of "Bahama" is unclear. It may have originated from the "baja mar" meaning "shallow seas". English is the official language used in the country, but the locals have their own Bohemian Creole dialect. Tourism is the major industry in the country, and the islands are a popular destination for cruise stopovers. The semitropical climate keeps the islands warm, with temperatures ranging from 69°F (20°C) in the winter months to 85°F (29°C) in the summer months.
70% of the population of the Bahamas resides within the capital city of Nassau, on the island of New Providence. Nassau is also the political center of The Bahamas, which is considered a Constitutional Monarchy, and home to its Ceremonial head of state. The Bahamas became an independent state in 1973 after gaining its sovereignty from The United Kingdom.
