Bahamas Flag Pictures
Sea and sand blaze on flag of Bahamas
Flying over The Bahamas since the island nation's independence from Great Britain in 1973, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas flag blazes the national colors of aquamarine and gold in three equal width horizontal stripes beginning at the top and ending with aquamarine. A black equilateral triangle unites the three stripes jutting out from the left of the flag to a point toward the center.
According to the official Bahamian government Web site, the strong black color represents the vigor and force of a united people with the triangle shape representing "the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop and process the rich resources of land and sea, symbolized by the gold and aquamarine, respectively."
The gold stripe evokes the sands of the 700 islands of The Bahamas, 30 of which are inhabited with the country's approximately 307,000 citizens. About 70 percent of The Bahamas' population resides on the island of New Providence, where the country's capital, Nassau, is located.
The original inhabitants of The Bahamas were the Arawak, who migrated to the islands from South America. The Arawak lived on the islands when Christopher Columbus arrived at San Salvador in 1492. Under the Spanish occupation, the Arawak were enslaved and sent to Hispaniola and Cuba to work in mines. The islands became depopulated and thousands of Arawak died under the enslavement.
In 1647, the first group of English settlers arrived in The Bahamas from Bermuda. Known as The Company of Eleutherian Adventurers, the group came seeking religious freedom.
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Bahamian islands were controlled by pirates. In 1718, Woodes Rogers, the first Royal Governor of the islands under the British crown, gained control over the pirates and the islands.
After the United States became independent, thousands of Americans loyal to the British along with their slaves came to The Bahamas. The Treaty of Paris in 1783, following the U.S. Revolution, officially established The Bahamas as a British colony.
In the 1960s, the black majority became more influential in the government and won the majority of elected positions in 1967. The British government had, first in 1964, and then again in 1969, established and broadened limited self-government for The Bahamas. In 1973, The Bahamas gained independence from Great Britain and became a constitutional parliamentary democracy named the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The current flag was officially adopted the day the country was declared independent.
Major national holidays in The Bahamas include Independence Day on July 10 and Emancipation Day on August 14 (1834).
Buy The Bahamas flags at united-states-flag.com
For more information, see:
Bahamas flag information at Flags of the World
Bahamas facts at CIA's World Factbook
Official Bahamas government site at bahamas.gov
Bahamas flag information at Vexilla Mundi
Bahamas images, information at theodora.com
Quick facts and flags at World Flag Database
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