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 Bahamas Country Profile
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 Bahamas at a Glance| Location: | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba | | Climate: | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream | | Terrain: | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills | | Resources: | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land | | Hazards: | hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage | | Population: | 309,156 |
A Brief Profile of BahamasLucayan 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 Europe, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.
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