Bucket List Travel Brochure
Hunter Morgan
Background
Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.
Culture
Foods
Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bahama-Islands.html#b#ixzz2mWz8GSAf
Religion
The population is overwhelmingly Christian, with Baptists comprising about 32%. About 20% of the population are Anglicans and about 24% belong to other Protestants groups such as the Methodists (6%), the Church of God (6%), the Presbyterians, Seventh-Day Adventists, and members of the Salvation Army. About 19% of the population are Roman Catholics. There is also a strong Greek Orthodox community. Smaller groups include Jews, Baha'is, Muslims, Hindus, and Rastafarians. More traditional practices related to witchcraft and known to scholars as voodoo or obeah continue to be observed in some areas.
Religion, with a focus on Christianity, is considered an academic subject in government schools. Although students may freely choose not to participate in religious instruction or observance outside of their own faith, the topic is included in mandatory standardized tests.
Read more: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/The-Bahamas-RELIGIONS.html#b#ixzz2nf8FxVZj
People
- According to the World Health Organization, only 3% of women and 19% of men in The Bahamas are smokers.
- Junkanoo (which has been compared to Carnival in Rio and Mardi Gras in New Orleans) is a colourful and uniquely Bahamian parade held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
- A native of Nassau is called a Nassuvian.
- The Bahamas has a population of 305,000. Seventy per cent of the population lives on New Providence Island (home of the capital city, Nassau), which is only the eleventh-largest island in The Bahamas.
Language
Our friendly nature makes it easy to strike up a conversation with a Bahamian. Try it for yourself. English is our official language. Although, you might hear Bahamian English. It’s a mixture of Queen’s diction, African influence and island dialect. The “h” is often dropped, so it sounds like “ouse” for “house” or “t’anks” for “thanks.”
Our dialect and idioms were influenced by African slaves, English Puritans and other settlers. Because of this combination, you will hear a unique language found only on The Islands Of The Bahamas. For instance, if you hear “day clean” they mean “daybreak” and “first fowl crow” means the first cry a rooster makes in the morning. These idioms are typical of Bahamian English.
Geography
Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of CubaGeographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 WMap references:
Central America and the CaribbeanArea:
total: 13,940 sq kmland: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than ConnecticutLand boundaries:
0 kmCoastline:
3,542 kmMaritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf StreamTerrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hillsElevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable landPlaces to See
Beaches in The Bahamas
The Bahamas is known for its stellar beaches. With over 2,000 breathtaking islands and cays, and the clearest water on Earth, it’s no wonder visitors come from all around to sink their toes into miles of pure white, and in some places pink, sand. Many of our beaches have been voted “best in the world” by numerous publications, and it’s not uncommon to find a celebrity or two strolling along our shores. In short, the beaches you’ll find here are the very definition of paradise.
New Zealand
Background
New Zealand is a small country, similar in size to Great Britain or Japan. With a population of only four million people it’s also gloriously uncrowded.There are two large islands (North and South) and a number of smaller islands in New Zealand. The Cook Strait separates them. The North Island is the most populous. It stretches from 46 to 34 degrees of latitude. It is mountainous and geologically active. The South Island has a range of high Alps. There is much fertile farm land and grazing lands. The climate is generally mild.
Culture
People(early voyagers)
With a patchwork history of Māori, European, Pacific Island and Asian cultures, New Zealand has become a melting-pot population - but one with some uniting features that make it unique in the world.
Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known as Kiwis), approximately 69% are of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous Māori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Māori Pacific Islanders.
Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live in the North Island, with one-third of the total population living in Auckland. The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton are where the majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell.
Over four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe worried about falling off the edge of the world; Maori people voyaged thousands of miles across the vast unknown Pacific Ocean in small ocean-going canoes and became the first inhabitants of Aotearoa New Zealand. To this day, Maori culture is a core part of New Zealand’s national identity.
Language
Kia ora = Hello in the Māori language
Try these expressions:
Kia oraHello
Kia ora tatouHello everyone
Tēnā koeGreetings to you (said to one person)
Tēnā koutouGreetings to you (said to three or more people)
Nau mai, haere maiWelcome
Kei te pehea koe?How’s it going?
Kei te paiGood
Tino paiReally good
Ka kite anō See you again
Foods
Green-Lipped Mussels
Roast Lamb
Religion
Geography
Intro.
Read more: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/New-Zealand-RELIGIONS.html#ixzz2o2i6pojW
Mountain Ranges to Fertile Farmland
Mountain ranges to fertile farmland
About a fifth of the North Island and two-thirds of the South Island are mountains. Stretching from the north of the North Island to the bottom of the South, these mountains are caused by the collision of the Australian and Pacific Plates.
Over millions of years, alluvial deposits (eroded from the mountains by rivers) formed the vast Canterbury Plains in the South Island and a number of smaller plains in the North. These alluvial plains contain some of New Zealand’s most fertile and productive farmland.
Glaciers of Grinding Ice
Capital: Wellington
Area: 103,737 square miles (268,680 sq km)
Coastline: 9,404 miles (15,134 km)
Official Languages: English and Maori
Highest Point: Mount Cook (Aoraki) at 12,349 ft (3,764 m)
New Zealand is an island country located 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Australia in Oceania. It consists of several islands, the largest of which are the North, the South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. The country has a liberal political history, gained early prominence in women's rights and has a good record in ethic relations, especially with its native Maori. In addition, New Zealand is sometimes called the "Green Island" because its population has high environmental awareness and its low population density gives the country a large amount of pristine wilderness and a high level of biodiversity.