With all your vacations coming up, you probably have the list of all the places you want to visit lined up already.
If the Bahamas is already on that list, then you’re good to go.
If you haven’t considered going on a trip to the Bahamas for any of your vacations on that matter, then you’re definitely missing out.
We’re not here to convince you to visit this beautiful country because we don’t want to ruin your plans.
On the other hand, after reading these fun facts about the Bahamas, along with some of the things you’d get to experience on your visit there, you’ll understand why this place is considered a paradise here on Earth.
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Brief History of the Bahamas
In 1492, Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the island of San Salvador, where about 40,000 Lucayans were residing. This was the first glimpse of the Bahamas the world has seen.
It was during the 1600s up to the 1700s that pirates, like Calico Jack and the famous Blackbeard, have also reached the Bahamas islands.
However, much of the Bahamas, especially the port of Nassau, were destroyed by both the French and Spanish colonies, and pirates started looting cargo ships left in the area.
It was only during 1718 that order was restored when Woodes Rogers, the Royal Governor from England, started to oversee the operations in the islands.
From then on, the Bahamas has been under the British Commonwealth.
After more than 300 years, the Bahamas declared independence from the British government on July 10, 1973.
Since then, the Bahamas has been independently making its own name as a piece of heaven on Earth, inviting tourists from all over the globe.
Fun Facts About the Bahamas
You probably know much about the Bahamas already. As it rises to popularity, countless news articles, blogs, reviews, and even TV features have been made about this nation.
Just by mentioning the name, you probably imagined a stretch of white sand and crystal-blue waters.
While that is indeed part of the Bahamas, this beautiful country is actually so much more than that.
With that in mind, here are some other fun facts about the Bahamas you probably want to know.
1. It Houses the World’s Third Largest Wine Cellar
If you’re well-versed about the wine industry, prepare to have your mind blown because the Bahamas boasts the third largest wine cellar in the entire world.
It’s not just about the size, though.
From over 400 winemakers come around 250,000 bottles of some of the world’s rarest and most expensive wines. That’s about a quarter of a million bottles!
That quantity is also of the same caliber when it comes to quality.
A 1727 Rudesheimer Apostelwein and an 1865 Chateau Lafite are a few of these rare bottles of wine that hail from the Bahamas.
2. It’s the Home of the World’s Third Largest Barrier Reef
When talking about barrier reefs, you’re probably thinking of a place on the other side of the planet, a hundred miles from the Pacific.
If you want to have a glimpse of the largest barrier reefs in the entire world, though, say no more because you’d find them in the Bahamas.
You don’t really have to fly a thousand miles, too, because located at about 50 miles from the coast of Miami, Florida is a 190-mile long barrier reef called the Andros Barrier Reef.
What’s even more exciting about this huge living organism is that unlike other barrier reefs that lie flat on the floor, the Andros Barrier Reef actually stretches downward.
You probably won’t be able to see the entirety of it because, believe it or not, it’s almost 6,000 feet deep!
If you’re looking for other things to do on Andros Island, after seeing the Andros Barrier Reef, of course, you can be sure that you'd find many more.
3. The Waters of the Bahamas Are Some of the Clearest in the World
Imagine you’re standing on top of a 20-story building, looking down on the pavement below. That’s quite a height we’re talking about, right?
Well, what if we told you that the waters of the Bahamas are so crystal clear that even when you’re on the surface of the water, you can actually see the bottom of it that’s almost 200 feet below.
4. There Are Actually About 700 Islands in the Bahamas
When talking about the Bahamas, one common misconception about the beautiful country is that it’s one long stretch of a beautiful coast.
However, you might be surprised that the Bahamas actually has about 700 islands making a total land area of almost 5,400 square miles.
What’s even more surprising is that only 30 of the 700 islands are inhabited by locals.
Because of that distribution, many of the islands that are part of the Bahamas are unexplored.
That’s probably why tourists from all over the globe keep coming back to this paradise. You’d just simply have new experiences every time you visit!
5. You’ve Probably Seen it in Movies
Do you love watching movies? If you do, chances are you’ve seen the Bahamas islands in some of them.
That’s because Hollywood loves the Bahamas. Of course, that’s not surprising, too, considering the sunny skies and the endless supply of natural beauty distributed in 700 islands.
Filmmakers just can’t help but see the potential of this country; not to mention, they literally have hundreds of island destinations they can choose from.
In fact, almost 30 movies have already been filmed in the Bahamas, and that number keeps on rising. Have you ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean? Exactly.
6. The Bahamas Sea Monster
Almost all of us are arguably interested in folklore, one way or another. The Americans have their Loch Ness monster, for crying out loud.
Well, the Bahamas is incomplete without this ingredient, of course.
In 1896, a carcass of an unbelievably large sea creature was found washed along the coast of one of the islands.
It is believed that the 75-feet half-octopus, half-shark monster lives in the Blue Hole located near Andros Island.
This kind of makes the entire story somewhat scarier, considering how remarkably mysterious these blue holes are.
Things to Do in the Bahamas
From crystal-clear beaches to festivals known globally, you’d just never run out of activities you can enjoy in the Bahamas.
That being said, we’ve listed quite a few things you must never forget to do during your stay in this paradise.
1. Stay at Club Med
You’ll never know luxury until you’ve experienced staying at Club Med Columbus Isle.
This world-class resort is home to some of the world’s most gorgeous stretches of white sand beach as well as world-famous bungalows that are painted according to the colors of the rainbow.
End your day by experiencing arguably the world’s best spa experience that you could ever get.
Talking about it on a short selection may not really be enough to tell you how amazing the place is.
If you're up for even more exciting adventures, you'd also find many other things you can do in San Salvador Island.
2. Swim with Pigs
If you thought about actual pigs after reading the subheading, make no mistake because you’re exactly right!
A tiny island called the Big Major Cay located in the Outer Exuma Islands is home to one of the biggest attractions of the Bahamas. This place lets you swim with pigs!
Forgive us; it’s not really like the place orders the pigs to swim with you. The pigs staying on this island are just extremely friendly that they’d swim to your boat as soon as you approach the coast!
3. Ride a Personal Underwater Sub
If you’ve ever seen documentaries about marine life and have wondered whether or not places like that still exist, let us be the one to answer your question: they do!
In fact, you don’t have to take our word for it because you can see it for yourself!
With a quick lesson on how to pilot a personal submarine, the Bahamas would allow you to swim underwater and explore the approximately 2,400 coral reefs living below the surface! That is, if you can.
Just by seeing the colorful and bustling marine life of these reefs guarantees that your Bahamas trip is worthwhile.
This is because you probably won’t see marine life like that of the Bahamas anywhere else in the world.
Conclusion
From swimming with pigs to world-class resorts, luxurious lifestyle, wine cellars, white sand beaches, and even pirates, the Bahamas will never fall short of exciting things to offer.
It is one of the very few places known to man that have preserved the true beauty of both our race and what our nature can produce.
It is not only the places but the people who worked together to maintain the beauty of this paradise that makes this place very special.
Visiting the Bahamas should definitely be on anyone’s bucket list. With around 700 islands for you to visit, there will definitely be something new that you’d discover.
Who knows? Maybe after you’ve seen this paradise, you would have your own list of fun facts about this awesome group of islands that you can share with your friends.
