Arawak Indians inhabited the
islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San
Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the
islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in
1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking
and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major
transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and
its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.
