The Bahamas is an island country located in the Atlantic Ocean within the Lucayan Archipelago. It consists of more than 3,000 islands, cays, and islets, of which about 700 are the main islands with only around 30 inhabited. Geographically, it is positioned to the southeast of the U.S. state of Florida, east of the Florida Keys, north of Cuba, northwest of the island of Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and southeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Bahamas extends over a distance of approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles). The capital and largest city is Nassau, situated on the island of New Providence.
The Bahamas covers a total area of about 13,878 square kilometers (5,358 square miles) and has a population of roughly 413,400 as of 2025 estimates. Strategically located at the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and Central America, the islands have a rich history including being the first landing site of Christopher Columbus in the New World in 1492 on San Salvador Island.
The archipelago is primarily composed of coral islands resting on the Great Bahama Bank and Little Bahama Bank, parts of the North American continental shelf. The islands feature a tropical savannah climate, with a mix of rocky surfaces, mangrove swamps, pineyards in the northern islands, and tropical hardwood forests in the south. The highest elevation point is only 63 meters (207 feet) above sea level on Cat Island.
Due to their location, the Bahamas share maritime borders with the United States, Cuba, Haiti, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The islands are known for their agreeable climate and picturesque beaches, making them a popular tourist destination, heavily reliant on tourism and financial services for their economy.
This comprehensive location and geographic context of the Bahamas not only defines its unique cultural and historical identity but also its role as a significant maritime nation in the Atlantic Ocean.