Bahamas

by Paul Bacsich for Re.ViCa. Minor update by James Kay of Sero for VISCED

For entities in Bahamas see Category:Bahamas

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an English-speaking country consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets (rocks). It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the Caribbean, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States (nearest to the state of Florida). Its total land area is almost 14 000 km²

The Bahamas has an estimated population of 330,000.

Its capital is Nassau.

Originally inhabited by Arawakan Taino people, the Bahamas were the site of Columbus' first landfall in the New World in 1492.

Economic activity is mostly based on tourism and financial services. A relatively high degree of economic freedom has made the Bahamas one of the most prosperous countries in the Caribbean region. The financial sector’s domestic and offshore activities contribute around 15 percent of GDP. The economy has a very competitive tax regime. The government derives its revenue from import tariffs, license fees, property and stamp taxes, but there is no income tax, corporate tax, capital gains tax, value-added tax (VAT), or wealth tax. Payroll taxes fund social insurance benefits. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 21.8 per cent.

The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which is also known as the gateway to the Bahamas. The island of Abaco is to the east of Grand Bahama. The southeasternmost island is Inagua. The largest island is Andros Island. Other inhabited islands include Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana. Nassau, the Bahamas capital city, lies on the island of New Providence. All the islands are low and flat, with ridges that usually rise no more than 15 to 20 m (49 to 66 ft). The highest point in the country is Mount Alvernia, formerly called Como Hill, which has an altitude of 63 metres (210 ft) on Cat Island.

To the southeast, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and three more extensive submarine features called Mouchoir Bank, Silver Bank, and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation of the Bahamas, but not part of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Education

Education in the Bahamas is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. As of 2003, the school attendance rate was 92% and the literacy rate was 95.5%. The government fully operates 158 of the 210 primary and secondary schools in The Bahamas - the other 52 schools are privately operated and include some elite private and international schools.

Enrollment for state primary and secondary schools is 50,332, with more than 16,000 students attending private schools. Some public schools lack basic educational materials and are overcrowded.

Higher Education

The College of the Bahamas is the leading tertiary institution. Several non-Bahamian colleges also offer higher education programs in The Bahamas.

Given the population and richness of the Bahamas one might have expected another local tertiary institution to exist, but the slack is seemingly taken up by the University of the West Indies.

College of the Bahamas

The College of The Bahamas is a publicly funded institution of higher education. It was established in Nassau in 1974 and provides programs leading to bachelors and associates degrees In just over a quarter of a century, it has established itself as a leading tertiary institution and one of the region’s most highly respected. It operates through each of its seven major campuses/centres, including the Oakes Field Campus, The Bahamas Tourism Training Centre, The Grosvenor Close Campus, The Centre for Entrepreneurship, The Centre for Continuing Education and Extension Services, The Northern Bahamas Campus and The Exuma Centre. The College also has a presence on several of the other Family Islands, including Andros, Abaco and Eleuthera.

For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_the_Bahamas and the official web site http://www.cob.edu.bs

The Centre for Continuing Education and Extension Services develops innovative educational opportunities that meet the needs of the community. Professional opportunities of special interest to business and industry, such as industry-specific professional certifications, are provided, as well as academic upgrading for traditional age students and personal development courses. It offers a wide variety of courses throughout The Bahamas. These include Family Island and Distance Education. The Centre has study centres on Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Exuma and Grand Bahama.

University of the West Indies

The Bahamas is a contributing country to UWI. Although not the site for a full-fledged UWI campus, the Centre for Hotel & Tourism Management is located in Nassau and the first year of the Law degree is administered at the College of the Bahamas in Nassau. Total students on campus are 2002 (2004/2005).

Virtual Learning

• The Bahamas Learning Channel

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For OER policies and projects in Bahamas see Bahamas/OER

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