Jam on down to the BAHAMAS

The Bahamas Mamas:

Matt Kudrycki and Leigh Gardner

General Info

• Population: 311,000

• Capital: Nassau

• English, Creole

What to do

• Offers world’s best: golf, fishing, diving, snorkeling, casinos

Sportfishing

• BONEFISH - famed location

• Dorado, tarpon, jacks etc..

• Flats - deep sea, fly rods

Geological Facts

• Total land Area 13,939 km (squared)

• # of islands: 700, 30 uninhabited

• Alt: 3000 m to - 40 m

• 5% earth’s corral reef

• Desert like areas - New England-style coastlines

About the Climate

• Abundance and variety of marine life :

- Calm waters

- Tradewinds

- Gulfstream (birthplace)

Climate

• 3 causes for warm and moist climate :

- Latitude

- easterly or northeasterly tradewinds

- location along ITCZ

- Dry period: Jan - Apr

Precipitation

• Leeward (coasts): > 600 mm

• Windward: < 5000 mm

- Inland : 1500-2000mm

Vegetation

• Most common - open pioneer vegetation (shorelines)

• Less rainfall, high humidity = evergreen, woody vegetation: succulents, low spiny shrubs, endemic cacti

Leeward Coastlines

• Not much agr development = infertility, long droughts, damaged by firewood cutting

Veg. Continued

• Forests: shoreline forests removed- (were) buttonwoods, tabebuia angustata, various woody climbers up to 25 m

• Sand Dunes: rare - heavy/moist sand cant be moved by winds

Veg Cont.

• Mangroves: mostly destroyed - reclamation and pollution

- low oxygen levels - muddy cond, heavy mosquitos

- important areas - diverse veg