bahamas

• commonwealth of the bahamas, group of islands in the atlantic ocean southeast of north america
the commonwealth of the bahamas is a country in the caribbean, which consists of over 700 islands. the main islands include grand bahama, andros, eleuthera, great abaco, and new providence. the first successful british colony began in 1656. in 1973 it became independent. the bahamas are a member of the commonwealth and the organization of american states. sir lynden o. pindling, of the progressive liberal party (plp), was prime minister from 1967 to 1992, when hubert ingraham, of the free national movement (fnm), was elected prime minister. tourism and banking are the main industries. in recent years illegal drug trafficking has become a serious problem.