Bahamas: Geography and Environment

The Bahamas is an archipelago of roughly 700 islands and cays, along with more than 2,000 smaller rocks and islets, situated in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida and north of Cuba. The islands are low lying and composed largely of limestone, built up over time from coral and shell deposits, with the country's highest point, Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, reaching only about 63 meters. The nation sits atop two vast shallow banks, the Great Bahama Bank and the Little Bahama Bank, whose clear turquoise waters are one of the country's defining features.

The climate is subtropical in the northern islands and becomes increasingly tropical toward the south, with a wet season from May to October and a drier season for the remainder of the year. The islands lie directly in the path of the Atlantic hurricane belt and have experienced some of the region's most destructive storms. Extensive mangrove wetlands, seagrass beds, and blue holes, flooded sinkholes that plunge deep beneath the islands, characterize much of the coastal and inland environment.

Environmental priorities include protecting coral reefs and mangrove systems, both vital to fisheries and coastal protection, and preparing for the effects of sea level rise given the islands' low elevation. Hurricane Dorian caused catastrophic damage to Abaco and Grand Bahama in 2019, underscoring the need for stronger building codes and storm resilient infrastructure. The Bahamas has also established marine protected areas, such as the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, to conserve its reefs and marine biodiversity.