The Bahamas

Coordinates: 24°15′N 76°00′W / 24.250°N 76.000°W / 24.250; -76.000

The Bahamas ⁱ/bəˈhɑːməz/, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country of the Lucayan Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean; north of Cuba and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the US state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Its capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence. The designation of "Bahamas" can refer to either the country or the larger island chain that it shares with the Turks and Caicos Islands. As stated in the mandate/manifesto of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Bahamas territory encompasses 470,000 km² (180,000 sq mi) of ocean space.

Originally inhabited by the Lucayan, a branch of the Arawakan-speaking Taino people, the Bahamas were the site of Columbus' first landfall in the New World in 1492. Although the Spanish never colonised the Bahamas, they shipped the native Lucayans to slavery in Hispaniola. The islands were mostly deserted from 1513 until 1648, when English colonists from Bermuda settled on the island of Eleuthera.

Chat

Chat or chats may refer to:

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Science and medicine

Birds

Stocking Island

Stocking Island is a small, long, narrow island off the port of Georgetown, Great Exuma Island, Bahamas. The island features beaches and several resorts.

Location and geography

Stocking Island is lightly inhabited, with a population of only 10. It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) from Government Dock, Georgetown, across the harbor. The long narrow island protects Georgetown from ocean waves, creating a natural harbor. There is one high hill, known locally as the Beacon, which is capped with an old, unused gas beacon. The glass top portion is missing, but the concrete pillar is visible for miles. The central part of Stocking Island features an inlet known as Hurricane Hole where sailboats anchor for protection during storms, and which features a blue hole. Opposite Hurricane Hole is a sandbar beach called the Spit where locals have built a popular bar/restaurant accessible only by boat known as Chat and Chill.

Nearby islands include Lilly Cay, Elizabeth Island, Guana Cay, and Fowl Cay.

Miss Universe

Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. Along with its rival contests, Miss World and Miss Earth, this pageant is one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world. The pageant was founded in 1952 by the California clothing company Pacific Mills, and is owned, along with Miss USA, by WME/IMG.

In 1998, Miss Universe, Inc. changed its name to Miss Universe Organization, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to New York City.

In 1998, the logo of Miss Universe – "the woman with stars" – was created, representing the beauty and responsibility of women around the world. The same logo is used in present-day pageants.

In 2015, after Donald Trump made statements about immigrants from Mexico in his presidential campaign kickoff speech, NBC decided to end their business relationship and stated that they will no longer air the pageant, or the Miss USA pageant, on their networks. In September 2015, Trump bought the entire stock of the Miss Universe Organization from NBC, becoming its sole owner for three days until selling the entire stock to WME/IMG.

Exuma

Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays. The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma by a small bridge. The capital and largest city in the district is George Town (permanent population 1,000), founded 1793 and located on Great Exuma. The Tropic of Cancer runs across a beach close to the city. The entire island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long and 72 sq. mi (187 km²) in area. Great Exuma island has an area of 61 sq. mi (158 km²) while Little Exuma has an area of 11 sq. mi (29 km²).

Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Exuma more than doubled, reflecting the construction of large and small resort properties and the related direct air traffic to Great Exuma from locations as distant as Toronto, Canada.

History

Exuma was settled in or around 1783 by American loyalists fleeing the Revolutionary War. The expatriates brought a cotton plantation economy to the islands. George Town was named in honour of George III, to whom the settlers maintained their loyalty. A few smaller cays still remain partially or wholly privately owned, albeit they are still referred to as part of the Exuma–Bahamas Cays. They are distinguished by a three-digit suffix number. The best known ones are adjoined cays Exuma 642 and 643, whose lifespan has been shortened in the recent years by the receding shorelines.