Florida Vacation Guide

If you're traveling or planning a vacation in the Bahamas might be interested in knowing a little about the area.

The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an organization independent English-speaking nation in the West Indies. Where in the world are? The Bahamas are located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida in the U.S., north of Cuba and the Caribbean, and west of the British dependency of the Turks and Caicos.

The Bahamas are a group of about 700 islands in the Atlantic Ocean West, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. This may sound like a big place, but on a basis of comparison, the Bahamas are only slightly more smaller than the state of Connecticut.

The largest island is Andros Island, located 120 miles south-east of Florida. The Bimini islands are to the northwest. To the north is the island of Grand Bahama, where is the second largest city, Freeport, Bahamas.

The island of Great Abaco is to the east. In the south is the island of Great Inagua, the second largest island.

Some facts and figures: Nassau is the capital and largest city, located in New Providence. The islands have a subtropical climate, moderated by the Gulf Stream. Most are ethnic Christians, and English is the official language.

The islands are the ocean surface projections of three banks, the Little Bahama Bank, the Bank of Grand Bahama and West Cay Sal Bank. The highest point is only 2480 inches (slightly less than half a mile) above sea level, on Cat Island, the island of New Providence where the capital city of Nassau, reaches a maximum altitude of only 1457 inches.

The land in the Bahamas has a foundation of fossil coral, but much of the rock is oolitic limestone, the stone is derived from the disintegration coral reefs and shells. The land is all good rock or mangroves. Scrub covers much of the surface. The wood is found in abundance in four northern islands of Grand Bahama, Great Abaco, New Providence and Andros. In some southern islands, low-growing tropical hardwood flourishes.

Although some soil is very fertile, also very thin. Only a few freshwater lakes and one river, located on Andros Island, are in the Bahamas.

The climate is semitropical in the Bahamas. They have only two seasons, summer and winter.

During the summer, which extends from May to November, the climate is dominated by warm, moist air masses tropical north through the Caribbean. Summer temperatures range from 70 ° to 93 ° F with a relative humidity of 60 to 100%.

In the winter months, which extends from December to April, the climate is affected by the movement of cold polar masses from North America. Temperatures during the winter months range from 59 ° to 75 ° F.

The average annual rainfall of 52 inches per year and generally focuses on the May-June and September-October periods. Precipitation often in short, fairly intense rainfall accompanied by strong gusts of wind.

Winds are predominantly east throughout the year, but tend to become the northeast from October to April and from May to September southeast. These winds seldom exceed 15 mph per hour except during hurricane season.

Although hurricane season officially lasts from June to November, most hurricanes in the Bahamas occur between July and October. The last hurricane to strike was the Hurricane David in September 1979. Damage was estimated at 1.8 million U.S. dollars U.S., and mainly affected agricultural products. The twentieth century most intense hurricane century to strike the Bahamas was in 1929. Winds of 140 mph were recorded. Many lives were lost damage, and no buildings, houses and boats.

No let the heat and hurricanes scare you. The Bahamas is a wonderful place to vacation at any time of year. Pack your sunglasses, find your bathing suit and call your travel agent today!

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Travel & Vacation in the Bahamas

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