The Bahamas
By: Alyssa Billotto
Brief History
During the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, piracy was a major problem. Males were generally known for being pirates, but two women under the names of Anne Bonny and Mary Read were the first females to be pirates. They weren't female pirates, though, they were females dressed up as male pirates. (The Official Site of The Bahamas, 2015).
Over a century later, Columbus discovered the Bahamas. When Columbus arrived in the Bahamas, there were over 40,000 Lucayans present on the islands. The Lucayans were an easy target since they haven’t been exposed to any other people before. Within 25 years of the arrival of Columbus and his men, they completely wiped out the entire Lucayan population. (The Official Site of The Bahamas, 2015).
Government Structure
“The Constitution of the Bahamas is based on the Westminster Model: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch.” Queen Elizabeth II is known as the “Head of State”. (Bahamas.gov.bs, 2015).
The Bahamas has a constitutional monarchy government in which the King or Queen is Head of State. The Bahamian Government “recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State”. (Bahamas.gov.bs, 2015) The Government also has a Parliament. The Parliament is made up of two houses: Senate and House of Assembly. (Bahamas.gov.bs, 2015).
Major Issues
The Bahamas is an island therefore they occasionally have extreme weather conditions. They are hit by hurricanes throughout the year. Having being hit by these weather conditions, they are put in debt because they have to pay millions to repair homes, businesses, and other things. The hurricanes affect more than you would think. They affect the agriculture production of the country. (Bahamas-history.net, 2015).
Before the economy started to depend on tourism, they desperately depended on the production of crops to fund the country's economy. Many natives only survived off of selling fish and agriculture. Now many natives own small businesses off of the tourists that visit the country. Tourists wouldn't notice that the country would go through struggles because the country works hand in hand. They look like the perfect country.
(Bahamas-history.net, 2015).