Place details
Place nameBahamas
Other namesCommonwealth of the Bahamas, The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Bahama Islands, Bahamas, The, BHS, BS, ISO044, BF00, Bahamian
Latitude24
Longitude-76
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Comprises most islands in Bahamas chain; originally inhabited by Lucayans (Arawaks), driven from S America by the Caribs; Columbus landed in 1492; visited by slave raiders & pirates; English colonized in 17th cen., & brought Africans here as slaves; official language is English.