Geography of the Bahamas

Continent	North America
Region	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	24°15′N76°00′W / 24.250°N 76.000°W /24.250; -76.000
Area	Ranked 155th
• Total	13,878 km2 (5,358 sq mi)
• Land	72.12%
• Water	27.88%
Coastline	3,542 km (2,201 mi)
Borders	None
Highest point	Cat Island 63 metres (207 ft)
Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Exclusive economic zone	654,715 km2 (252,787 sq mi)

The Bahamas are a group of about 700islands andcays in the westernAtlantic Ocean, of which only between 30 and 40 are inhabited. The largest of the islands isAndros Island, located north ofCuba and 200 kilometres (120 miles) southeast ofFlorida. TheBimini islands are to its northwest. To the North is the island ofGrand Bahama, home to the second-largest city in the country,Freeport. The island ofGreat Abaco is to its east. In the far south is the island ofGreat Inagua, the second-largest island in the country. Other notable islands includeEleuthera,Cat Island,San Salvador Island,Acklins,Crooked Island, andMayaguana.Nassau is the capital and largest city, located onNew Providence. The islands have a tropical savannah climate, moderated by theGulf Stream. The total size is 13,878 km² (5,358 sq mi). Due to the many widespread islands it has the 41st largestExclusive Economic Zone of 654,715 km² (252,787 sq mi).

The islands are surface projections of two oceanicBahama Banks - the Little Bahama Bank and the Great Bahama Bank.^[1] The highest point is only 63 metres (207 feet) 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 fossilcoral, but much of the rock isooliticlimestone; the stone is derived from the disintegration ofcoral reefs and seashells.^[1] The land is primarily either rocky ormangrove swamp.^[1] Low scrub covers much of the surface area.^[1]Pineyards are found on four of the northern islands: Grand Bahama, Great Abaco, New Providence, and Andros.^[1] On some of the southern islands, low-growing tropical hardwood flourishes.^[1] Although some soil is very fertile, it is also very thin.^[1] Only a few freshwater lakes and just one river, located on Andros Island, are found in the Bahamas.^[1]

The climate of the Bahama islands is mostlytropical savanna, with two seasons, a hot and wet summer (wet season) and dry winter (dry season).

During the wet season, which extends from May through October, the climate is dominated by warm, moist tropical air masses^[1] as theBermuda High brings a southeasterly flow from the deep tropics. Daily high temperatures are in the 31 °C (87.8 °F) range, with a dew point temperatures in the 75–77 °F (23.9–25.0 °C) range, creating the typical hot and sultry island weather. Brief but intense thundershowers are common with thunder and lightning. In the wet season, tropical storms and weak tropical lows may also contribute to the seasonal rainfall.

In the dry season, extending from November through April, the subtropical high retreats, and a mix of drier northeast trade winds and occasional westerlies coming down from the North American mainland impact the Bahamas. Sunny, arid conditions prevail in the Bahamas in the dry season, and at times drought conditions can impact farming and agriculture. High temperatures during the dry season are in the 25 °C (77.0 °F) range.

Annual rainfall averages 132 centimetres (52 in) and is usually concentrated in the May–June and September–October periods.^[1] Rainfall often occurs in short-lived, fairly intense, but brief thundershowers accompanied by strong gusty winds, followed by a return to clear skies.^[1]

Winds are predominantly easterly throughout the year but tend to become northeasterly from October to April and southeasterly from May to September.^[1] These winds seldom exceed twenty-four kilometres per hour except during hurricane season.^[1] Although the hurricane season officially lasts from June to November, most hurricanes in the Bahamas occur between July and October.^[1] The strongest storm to strike the country wasHurricane Andrew in 1992, untilHurricane Dorian struck in 2019. Damage was estimated at US$250 million and mainly affected agricultural products.

The most intense hurricane to strike the Bahamas wasHurricane Dorian in 2019, with wind gusts of up to 355 kilometres per hour (221 mph) being recorded. 84 people died (74 of whom were from the Bahamas), and there was catastrophic damage to buildings, homes, and boats, and sometimes complete destruction. Preliminary damage estimates are in the US$7 billion range.^[10]

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.^[15] Global temperature rise of 2 °C above preindustrial levels can increase the likelihood of extremehurricane rainfall by four to five times in the Bahamas.^[16][17] TheIPCC expects the 20-year average global temperature to exceed +1.5 °C in the early 2030s.^[18]

The Bahamas is expected to be highly affected bysea level rise because at least 80% of the total land is below 10 meters elevation.^[19][20] As asmall island developing state, the Bahamas is vulnerable to escalating disease outbreaks, and climate change could affect the seasonality of outbreaks and transmission of disease.^[21]

Although the country'sgreenhouse gas emissions are comparatively small (2.94 million tonnes of green house gases emitted in 2023),^[22] the Bahamas is reliant on importedfossil fuels for energy generation.^[23] The government plans to increasesolar energy capacity to 30% of the country's total energy production by 2033.^[24] The Bahamas has pledged to reduce its emissions by 30% by 2030, if international support is received.^[25]

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Atlantic Ocean, chain islands in the NorthAtlantic Ocean, southeast ofFlorida, northeast ofCuba and northwest of theTurks and Caicos Islands.

Geographic coordinates (capital cityNassau): 25°4′N 77°20′W

• total: 13,880 km²

county comparison to the world: 161

• land: 3865 square miles; 10,010 km²
• water: 3,870 km²

• Australia comparative: 6 times larger than theAustralian Capital Territory
• Canada comparative: a little over twice the size ofPrince Edward Island
• Poland comparative: slightly smaller thanŚwiętokrzyskie Voivodeship
• United Kingdom comparative: slightly smaller thanNorthern Ireland
• United States comparative: slightly smaller thanConnecticut
• France comparative: slightly larger thanÎle-de-France
• ThePhilippines comparative: slightly larger thanIlocos Region
• Germany comparative: slightly smaller thanSchleswig-Holstein
• Russia comparative: slightly smaller thanKarachay-Cherkess Republic
• Indonesia comparative: slightly smaller thanNorth Sulawesi
• Ivory Coast comparative: slightly smaller thanComoé District

• salt,limestone,timber,arable land

• arable land: 0.8%
• permanent crops: 0.04%
• other: 98.8% (2012)

• 3,542 kilometres (2,201 mi)
• 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.^[26]

• 654,715 km² (252,787 sq mi)

• The terrain consists of long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills.

• Northernmost point –Walker's Cay,Abaco Islands
• Southernmost point –Matthew TownGreat 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 toCuba -Cay Lobos 22.5 km (14 mi)

• 10 km² (2003)

• 0.02 km³ (2011)

As an island nation, the Bahamas is made up of numerousarchipelagos,beaches,straits,blue holes, and other landforms. The tallest mountain isMount Alvernia, at only 207 feet above sea level. Notable bodies of water includeDean's Blue Hole, Lake Rosa, and theGoose River. The Bahamas also containsmany creeks.

In the Bahamasforest 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 beprimary 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 underpublic ownership, 20%private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown.^[27]

• Hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage

• Coral reef decay
• Solid waste disposal

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

• 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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGeography of the Bahamas.

• List of islands of the Bahamas
• Wikimedia Atlas of the Bahamas

•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.

• Chenoweth, Michael (1998). "The Early 19th Century Climate of the Bahamas and a Comparison with 20th Century Averages".Climatic Change.40 (3–4):577–603.doi:10.1023/A:1005371320672.S2CID 150631324.
• Carew, James L.; Mylroie, John E. (1997).Geology of the Bahamas(PDF). Retrieved9 February 2017.

• Geography of the Bahamas

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