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The Bahamas: Hispanic Reading Room Country Guide

This guide provides curated Library of Congress resources for researching The Bahamas, including digitized primary source materials in a wide variety of formats, books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching.

Introduction

Detroit Photographic Co. East Street, Nassau, Bahama Islands. [1901]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

The Library of Congress holds hundreds of collection materials about and from The Bahamas. Curated by librarians in the Hispanic Reading Room, this guide is part of a series of Country Guides that provide quick references for countries and regions from the Caribbean & Luso-Hispanic World. The Hispanic Reading Room is the Library’s portal to the Caribbean, Latin America, Spain and Portugal; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic and Caribbean heritage, including diasporic communities in the U.S. This guide offers links to diverse resources on The Bahamas from across the Library including digitized primary sources, selected books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching. For specific questions or assistance using the Library’s resources, use the Ask a Librarian service to contact a reference librarian.

The Bahamas: Quick Facts

Long, E. John. Bahamas. [1959]. Library of Congress General Collections

Official Name: Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Capital: Nassau

Date of Independence: 10 July 1973

Head of State: King Charles III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Cornelius A. Smith (since 28 June 2019)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Philip Davis (since 17 September 2021)

Population: 358,508 (est. 2023)

Languages: English, Bahamian Creole

Regions (Islands): Abaco, Acklins, Andros, Berry Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Inagua, Long Island, Mayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador

Source: The World Factbook