Bahamas Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Bahamas?
Overview
The Islands of the Bahamas lie between 20 and 27°N latitude and 72 and 79°W longitude. Separated from the North American Continent by the Florida Channel and cooled in the summer by the northeast trade winds. The Bahamas extends over 100,000 square miles of sea, with slightly less than half lying in the Tropics. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the lower part of Long Island. Contrary to popular belief, the Bahamas is not in the Caribbean but is in the Atlantic Ocean.The Bahamas stretch over a distance of some 760 miles from northwest to southeast and includes 30 inhabited islands, 661 cays, and about 2,387 exposed reefs. The total land area is approximately 5,380 square miles, about the size of Wales or two‑thirds the size of Massachusetts. The largest island is Andros, with an area of 2,300 square miles and the smallest inhabited island is Spanish Wells, with an area of one-half mile. The highest point is 206-foot-high Como Hill on Cat Island. Some of the most beautiful beaches and lagoons in the world are located in the Bahamas.
Over 50 varieties of trees can be found here, including such exotic species as the African tulip, the casuarina, the cork tree, several varieties of palm trees, and about 40 varieties of fruit trees. In addition, large varieties of shrubs, climbers, vines, vegetables, and herbs are found here.
Geography - note
Strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabitedBahamas Use of Natural Resources
| Geographic Location | The Caribbean |
| Total Area |
5,359 Square Miles 13,880 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
3,865 Square Miles 10,010 Square Kilometers |
| Water Area |
1,494 Square Miles 3,870 Square Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
4 Square Miles 10 Square Kilometers |
| Coastline |
2,201 Miles 3,542 Kilometers |
| Geographic Coordinates | 24 15 N, 76 00 W |
| Terrain | Long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
| Highest Point | 63 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m |
| Lowest Point Location | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Natural Resources | Salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
| Time Zone | UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Daylight saving time | +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November |