Bahamas
Some seven hundred islands and over two thousand cays, one nation, and a welcome as wide as the water between them.
The Bahamas gave the world Junkanoo, a jubilant street parade of drums, cowbells, and vivid costume born from generations of Afro-Bahamian tradition. Every Boxing Day and New Year's morning the streets of Nassau fill with music and color, a celebration that has inspired festivals across the Caribbean and beyond. It is a small, human example of the same idea this whole hemisphere is built on, that one nation's joy can end up belonging to everyone.
The national motto, "Forward, Upward, Onward, Together," was written to capture exactly that spirit. It is a small piece of wisdom shared across the Americas in a hundred different words, the same common ground this whole project stands on.
Get to Know the Bahamas
Capital: Nassau. Official language: English. Currency: Bahamian dollar, pegged one to one with the US dollar. Made up of about 700 islands and over 2,000 cays, only around 30 of them inhabited.
Fun Facts
- Dean's Blue Hole on Long Island is the deepest known saltwater blue hole on Earth, plunging more than 200 meters.
- The swimming pigs of Exuma are one of the most photographed animal attractions anywhere.
- The Lucayan people called one Bahamian island Guanahani, the site of Columbus's first landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
Why Visit
The Bahamas' turquoise water and easy island hopping mean no two days need look the same. The Andros Barrier Reef, the third largest in the world, is a paradise for divers and snorkelers. Dean's Blue Hole on Long Island draws free divers from around the globe, and the swimming pigs of Exuma have become one of the most photographed animal encounters anywhere. Junkanoo fills the streets of Nassau with music and color every Boxing Day and New Year's morning.
Made in the Bahamas
The Bahamas is known for handwoven straw craft, Junkanoo inspired art, and small batch rum. This space is reserved for a future Local Marketplace Spotlight, featuring Trust Standard certified Bahamian businesses once that pillar of the Americas Ecosystem exists. Soon.