BAHA'MAS, or Ltravos. A group of islands, forming a division of the British West Indies, situated in the Atlantic Ccean. between latitudes 21° and 27° 31' N., southeast of Flor ida and north of Cuba and Haiti (Slap: West Indies, K 2). Including the reefs, they number ever 3000, of which only about 20 are inhabited. The principal islands are New Providence, Abaco, Harbor Island, Great Bahama, Andros Island, San Salvador, Long Island, Eleu thera, Exuma, Watling's Island, Aeklin's Island, Crooked Island, and Great Inagua. The total area of the group is placed at 5450 square miles. The islands are long and narrow, with a generally low surface, the highest point attain ing to an altitude of a little above 225 feet: they are comparatively fertile, though the soil is not of great depth. Some of the larger islands have a valuable growth of timber. Cotton and sisal are cultivated to a considerable extent, and other leading products are maize, pineapples, oranges, grapes, etc. Fishing for sponges and other ma rine products is one of the most important occu pations. The climate, although moist, is not unhealthful for whites, though among thenegroes there is a high rate of mortality from pulmonary complaints. The mild winter temperature has made the islands, particularly New Providence (the most important, with an area of S'5 square miles), a popular place of winter and health resort.
The imports into the Bahamas in 1900, princi pally textiles and flour, amounted to £335,269 ($1,676,345), while the exports were valued at £207,223 ($1,036,115). The principal articles of export are sponges, pineapples, fibre, turtle shell, etc.
The islands are administered by a governor. assisted by executive and legislative councils of nine members each, and a representative assem bly of 29 members, elected on a property quali fication. Education is subsidized to a consider
able extent by the Government. The revenue and expenditures of the colony for 1900 were £78,360 ($394,300) and £S2,S37 ($414,185) respectively. The capital, Nassau (q.v.), on New Providence, is the seat of a United States consul. Total pop ulation of the Bahamas in 1891, 47,565; in 1901, 53,735.
The Bahamas were discovered by Columbus in 1492, though the exact locality of his first land ing has been the subject of considerable dispute.
• The English. in 1029, established a settlement on New Providence, from which they were driven by the Spanish in 1641, and from that time until 1783, when they were ultimately acquired by England, they were alternately in the possession of the Spanish and the British. At this period, the islands became notorious as the rendez vous of pirates and the scene of disorder and lawlessness. During the Revolution, the Ba hamas gave refuge to a number of American Tories, whose wealth and slave-labor aided ma terially in the development of the islands. The blockade of the Southern ports during Ole Civil War made Nassau the chief station in the block ade-running trade, and increased the commerce of the islands to an enormous extent. The Ba hamas have suffered severely from hurricanes, notably in 1866 and in 1383, and disastrous droughts have occurred. In 1848 the Turk and Caicos Islands were joined to Jamaica for admin istrative purposes. Consult: Empire Series (London, 1900) ; Stark, History and Guide to the Bahamas (Boston, 1891). For fur ther references, see WEST INDIES.