Introduction
Lying just off the tip of Florida and stretching southeast across
258,998 sq. km (100,000 sq. miles) of the Atlantic Ocean, The
Bahamas are often called the South Sea Islands of the Atlantic. Many of
The Bahamas’ thousands of miles of perfect coral sand beaches remain
free of footprints.
Charting its own course from Britain since 1973, the archipelago is made
up of a landmass of 700 islands. The prospect of deciding which island is
right for you isn’t as daunting as that figure suggests. Most of the islands —
or islets, in some cases — aren’t inhabited. Of those islands that are
inhabited, only a few are graced with places to stay.
Don’t come here looking for mountainous interiors like the ones found in
Jamaica or Puerto Rico. Instead of hills, The Bahamas offer seascapes that
seem to stretch forever. For the most part, beaches of white, golden, or,
in some rare cases, pink sands ring the islands. If you’re flying over them
like a bird, you can see translucent waters shimmering in the sunlight —
pale aquamarine, blue sapphire, or what an aerial photographer once
called “dancing green.”
Entire books containing only photographs of these swirling water patterns
have been published. As more and more of the world’s seas
become polluted, the Bahamian waters alone make this island nation
worth a trip.
In Bahamas For Dummies, 4th Edition, we help you discover the islands,
focusing on the high points but also warning you about some of the low
points. Of course, we hit all the hot spots, like the well-touristed Nassau,
Paradise Island, and Freeport/Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island. But we
also take you to the less-visited and harder-to-reach islands, such as the
Exumas in the southern Bahamas, perfect for those visitors seeking an
escape for some serious R & R. 
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