Geography played a crucial role in Bahamian history. In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World on the island of San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas. After observing the shallow sea around the islands, he said "baja mar" (shallow water or sea), and effectively named the area The Bahamas, or The Islands of the Shallow Sea.

Since it was located close to Florida and well-traveled shipping channels, The Islands Of The Bahamas caught the attention of explorers, settlers, invaders and traders. These people shaped the colorful history of The Bahamas and made the country what it is today.
The late 1600s to the early 1700s were the golden age for pirates and privateers. Most of the ones you've heard about—like Sir Francis Drake and Blackbeard—used The Islands Of The Bahamas as their port at one time or another.  The Islands Of The Bahamas made an ideal home base for pirates and privateers. The numerous islands and islets with their complex shoals and channels provided excellent hiding places for the plundering ships. And since The Islands Of The Bahamas were close to well-traveled shipping lanes, it gave the buccaneers plenty of opportunities to steal from merchant ships.

The tourism industry began in the mid-19th century with government support for the construction of hotels and subsidized steamship service. Tourism once again blossomed in the 1920s when prohibition brought well-to-do American tourists to the islands. The influx of visitors increased the demand for food, lodging and other items. Consequently, the banking industry boomed as The Islands Of The Bahamas built new hotels, warehouses, bars, distilleries and wharves.

In 1964, Great Britain granted The Islands Of The Bahamas limited self-government, and in 1969 the colony of The Bahamas became a Commonwealth. It then legally became a nation on July 10, 1973, which is celebrated today as Bahamian Independence Day.