Perry Gladstone Christie
Prime Minister

(pronounced "PAIR-ee GLAD-stone KRIS-tee")

"In politics I would rather lose by doing what is right, than win by doing that which is wrong."

The Bahamas is a nation of islands, an archipelago that stretches southeasterly for more than 805 km (500 mi) south of Florida to the edge of the Caribbean Sea. The chain comprises more than 700 islands, but less than 30 of them are actually inhabited. The total land area amounts to 13,940 sq km (5,382 sq mi). The census of 2000 recorded a total population on all islands of 304,913. The smallest of these islands, New Providence, boasts 65% of the nation's population, most of whom live in the capital city of Nassau. The other significant island, in terms of population concentration, is Grand Bahama, which has approximately 15% of the population.

The Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher...