Living in the Bahamas guide for expats

The capital of the Bahamas is Nassau, located on the island of New Providence. Nassau has about 240,000 people, which account for the 70% of the total population, and it's well-connected to the rest of the world, served by flights to North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.

Historically, the Bahamas is where Christopher Columbus landed in 1492 during his first expedition in the New World, and he named the island of the Bahamas archipelago San Salvador. Between 1513 and 1648 the islands were almost uninhabited ' until English settlers from Bermuda came to Eleuthera island. Shortly after, in 1718, the Bahamas became a British Crown colony, which nowadays translates to British Overseas Territory. From the day that slavery was abolished in the Bahamas (1834), the islands became the home of many freed African slaves from the United States. Currently, about 90% of the Bahamas' population is Afro-Bahamian.

Parades, regattas, and festivals are a common and colourful occurrence on the islands. One of the most popular celebrations is the Junkanoo, a party parade featuring brightly costumed dancers moving to the beat of the drummers along crowded streets.

English is widely spoken in the Bahamas, and is one of the two official languages; the other being Bahamian Creole.

The economy of the Bahamas is preliminary based on it being an offshore financial centre, a tourist hub, and having a large open-registry shipping fleet. The services sector is also growing significantly, encouraging people to leave the rural areas, and start their lives in the capital city where all commercial activity occurs.