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thumb|upright=1.2|This short video shows moist clouds over the island of Cuba and the Bahamas as the [[International Space Station|ISS flies from the Caribbean Sea north-east to the Atlantic Ocean. In the video, Cuba is mostly covered by clouds, but the reefs in the Bahamas stand out.]]
The Bahamas are a group of about 700 islands and cays in the western Atlantic Ocean, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. The largest of the islands is Andros Island, located north of Cuba and southeast of Florida. The Bimini islands are to its northwest. To the North is the island of Grand Bahama, home to the second-largest city in the country, Freeport. The island of Great Abaco is to its east. In the far south is the island of Great Inagua, the second-largest island in the country. Other notable islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, and Mayaguana. Nassau is the capital and largest city, located on New Providence. The islands have a tropical savannah climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream. The total size is . Due to the many widespread islands it has the 41st largest Exclusive Economic Zone of .
The islands are surface projections of two oceanic Bahama Banks - the Little Bahama Bank and the Great Bahama Bank. The highest point is only above sea level on Cat Island; the island of New Providence, where the capital city of Nassau is located, reaches a maximum elevation of only thirty-seven meters. The land on the Bahamas has a foundation of fossil coral, but much of the rock is oolitic limestone; the stone is derived from the disintegration of coral reefs and seashells.
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|73 °F
23 °C
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|81 °F
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|82 °F
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24 °C
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Climate change
Climate change is causing temperature increases in the Bahamas. The average temperature has increased by approximately 0.5 °C since 1960. The rate of the temperature increase varies seasonally, with average daily maximum temperatures for July recently increasing at a rate of 2.6 °C per 100 years. Global temperature rise of 2 °C above preindustrial levels can increase the likelihood of extreme hurricane rainfall by four to five times in the Bahamas. The IPCC expects the 20-year average global temperature to exceed +1.5 °C in the early 2030s.
The Bahamas is expected to be highly affected by sea level rise because at least 80% of the total land is below 10 meters elevation. As a small island developing state, the Bahamas is vulnerable to escalating disease outbreaks, and climate change could affect the seasonality of outbreaks and transmission of disease.
Although the country's greenhouse gas emissions are comparatively small (2.94 million tonnes of green house gases emitted in 2023), the Bahamas is reliant on imported fossil fuels for energy generation. The government plans to increase solar energy capacity to 30% of the country's total energy production by 2033. The Bahamas has pledged to reduce its emissions by 30% by 2030, if international support is received.
Geography
Location
thumb|upright=1.8|Map of the Bahamas
Atlantic Ocean, chain islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba and northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Geographic coordinates (capital city Nassau): 25°4′N 77°20′W
Area
- total: 13,880 km<sup>2</sup>
:county comparison to the world: 161
- land: 3865 square miles; 10,010 km<sup>2</sup>
- water: 3,870 km<sup>2</sup>
Area comparative
- Australia comparative: 6 times larger than the Australian Capital Territory
- Canada comparative: a little over twice the size of Prince Edward Island
- Poland comparative: slightly smaller than Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
- United Kingdom comparative: slightly smaller than Northern Ireland
- United States comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
- France comparative: slightly larger than Île-de-France
- The Philippines comparative: slightly larger than Ilocos Region
- Germany comparative: slightly smaller than Schleswig-Holstein
- Russia comparative: slightly smaller than Karachay-Cherkess Republic
- Indonesia comparative: slightly smaller than North Sulawesi
- Ivory Coast comparative: slightly smaller than Comoé District
Land
Natural resources
- salt, limestone, timber, arable land
Land use
- arable land: 0.8%
- permanent crops: 0.04%
- other: 98.8% (2012)
Coastline
- A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,354 km² of tidal flats in the Bahamas, making it the 24th ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.
Sea territory
Terrain
- The terrain consists of long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.
Extreme points
Source:
- Northernmost point – Walker's Cay, Abaco Islands
- Southernmost point – Matthew Town Great Inagua island
- Westernmost point – Elbow Cays, Bimini
- Easternmost point – Mayaguana Island
- Lowest point – Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- Highest point – Mount Alvernia: 63 m
- Closest point to Cuba - Cay Lobos 22.5 km (14 mi)
Irrigated land
- 10 km<sup>2</sup> (2003)
Total renewable water resources
- 0.02 km<sup>3</sup> (2011)
Landforms
As an island nation, the Bahamas is made up of numerous archipelagos, beaches, straits, blue holes, and other landforms. The tallest mountain is Mount Alvernia, at only 207 feet above sea level. Notable bodies of water include Dean's Blue Hole, Lake Rosa, and the Goose River. The Bahamas also contains many creeks.
Environment
Forests
In the Bahamas forest cover is around 51% of the total land area, equivalent to 509,860 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 509,860 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 0 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 0% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 80% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 20% private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.
Natural hazards
- Hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage
Environment - Current issues
- Coral reef decay
- Solid waste disposal
Environment - International agreements
Party to these agreements:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetl
Geography - note
- The Bahamas is strategically located adjacent to the United States and Cuba (Cay Confites to 14 miles).
- The Bahamas is an extensive island chain of which 30 islands are inhabited.
See also
- List of islands of the Bahamas