The Bahamas: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

The Bahamas is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida and north of Cuba. It is made up of about 700 islands and thousands of tiny cays, but only around 30 are lived on. Its capital is Nassau, on New Providence island, and about 400,000 people live in the country. The Bahamas is famous for its turquoise water, white sand, coral reefs and colourful Junkanoo parades.

On My Earth Toy you can find The Royal at Atlantis, a giant pink resort with two towers joined by a bridge on Paradise Island. You can also spot the American flamingo, the national bird of the Bahamas.

Geography and nature

The islands sit on shallow underwater platforms called banks, so the sea around them glows bright turquoise. The land is low and flat; the highest point is only about 63 metres. Andros, the largest island, has thick pine forests, mangroves and one of the biggest barrier reefs in the world. The Bahamas also has many blue holes, deep underwater caves. Great Inagua island is home to tens of thousands of flamingos.

People, languages and culture

English is the official language, and many Bahamians also speak a local Creole. Most people have African ancestors, and the country is mainly Christian. Junkanoo is the most famous celebration: on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, groups parade through the streets in huge costumes made of coloured paper, playing goatskin drums, cowbells and horns. Conch, a large sea snail, is a favourite food, eaten in salads, fritters and chowder.

History in a nutshell

The first people known to live here were the Lucayans, a Taíno people. In 1492 Christopher Columbus made his first landing in the Americas on an island in the Bahamas. Many Lucayans were soon enslaved or died from disease. British settlers arrived in the 1600s, and the islands became a British colony. Pirates such as Blackbeard once used Nassau as a base. The Bahamas became independent on 10 July 1973.