Table of Contents
Did Christopher Columbus discover the Bahamas?
On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall in what is now the Bahamas. Columbus and his ships landed on an island that the native Lucayan people called Guanahani. Columbus renamed it San Salvador.
How did Bahamas get its name?
The name Bahamas is of Lucayan Taino (Arawakan) derivation, although some historians believe it is from the Spanish bajamar, meaning “shallow water.” The islands occupy a position commanding the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire Central American region.
What race is Bahamas?
Ninety percent of the Bahamian population identifies as being primarily of African ancestry. About two-thirds of the population lives on New Providence Island (the location of Nassau), and about half of the remaining one-third lives on Grand Bahama (the location of Freeport).
What did Columbus do to the Bahamas?
Who are the Greek people in the Bahamas?
The Greek Bahamians account for less than 1% of the population in the Bahamas, and they are Bahamian citizens who either have full or partly Greek heritage. Most of the members of this ethnic group are descendants of the Greek laborers who moved the Bahamas in the 1880s and were involved in the Sponging industry.
Where did the people of the Bahamas come from?
The Afro-Bahamians trace their origins to Africa, particularly to parts of Western Africa who were enslaved and brought to the Bahamas. In the 17th century, the Africans were originally brought to Bermuda before they were taken to the Bahamas. Many others came directly from Africa during the 18th and the 19th century.
Which is the largest city in the Bahamas?
The largest city in the country which also serves as the capital city is Nassau having a population of about 255,000 inhabitants. Here are the largest ethnic groups in the Bahamas. Afro-Bahamians are by far the largest ethnic community in the country, accounting for 90.6% of the total population in the country.