Factbook
History of The Bahamas — Timeline
Key dates in the history of The Bahamas, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1492Lucayan Indians inhabited the Bahama islands when Christopher COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World in 1492.
1647British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783.
1973Independence: 10 July 1973 (from the UK).
1973Since gaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas has prospered through tourism, international banking, and investment management, which comprise up to 85% of GDP.
2018Major urban areas: 280,000 NASSAU (capital) (2018) high-income tourism and financial services economy; major income inequality; strong US bilateral relations; several tax relief programs; targeted investment in agriculture, energy, light manufacturing, and technology industries Inflation: 0.4% (2024 est.).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 99.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 104.409 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: tourism, banking, oil bunkering, maritime industries, transshipment and logistics, salt, aragonite, pharmaceuticals Agriculture: sugarcane, grapefruits, vegetables, bananas, tomatoes, chicken, tropical fruits, oranges, coconuts, mangoes/guavas (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) Religions: Protestant 69.9% (includes Baptist 34.9%, Anglican 13.7%, Pentecostal 8.9% Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, Methodist 3.6%, Church of God 1.9%, Plymouth Brethren 1.6%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 12%, other Christian 13% (includes Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), other 0.6%, none 1 Urban population: 83.6% of total population (2023).
2024Military spending: 0.7% of GDP (2024 est.).
