A British colony since 1783, the Bahamas became
self-governing in 1964 and achieved full independence in 1973.
Although it includes 700 subtropical islands and over 2,000 corals and
cays, only 29 islands are inhabited. The land area is 5,382 square
miles with a population of 253,000. Nassau is the capital and the
major industries include tourism, offshore finance and banking.
