BGCSE Social Studies key terms

A group or chain of many islands lying close together in a sea or ocean. The Bahamas is an archipelago of roughly 700 islands and 2,000 cays stretching south-east from Florida.

A small, low sandy island, often formed on top of a coral reef. Bahamian cays may be uninhabited and are used for tourism, fishing and protecting wildlife.

A ridge of living coral animals and their hard skeletons lying in shallow tropical seas. Reefs shelter Bahamian coasts from waves and provide habitats for fish.

A sedimentary rock made mainly from the shells and skeletons of sea creatures. Most Bahamian land is limestone, which slightly acidic rainwater slowly dissolves to form caves and sinkholes.

The period from about June to November when tropical storms and hurricanes most often form in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Bahamians prepare by storing supplies, securing buildings and heeding official warnings.

The indigenous Taino-speaking people who lived throughout The Bahamas before Europeans arrived. They farmed, fished and traded, and were enslaved and largely removed after Spanish contact in 1492.

English Puritan settlers who arrived in 1648 and established a colony on Eleuthera after leaving Bermuda. They came seeking religious freedom and are remembered as early Bahamian settlers.

American colonists who stayed loyal to Britain and moved to The Bahamas after the American Revolution. They brought enslaved Africans with them and started cotton plantations on several islands.

The ending of slavery throughout the British Empire in 1834, including in The Bahamas. Freed people marked it with celebrations that continue today as Emancipation Day.

The smuggling of goods past an enemy navy's blockade of a coast. During the American Civil War, Nassau merchants profited by supplying the blockaded southern states.

The 1967 election in which Bahamians of African descent gained political control of the government. It is celebrated each January as a national holiday marking democratic progress.

The 1973 event in which The Bahamas became a sovereign state, ending British colonial rule. It is celebrated every 10 July with parades and ceremonies.

An official count of a country's people that records details such as age, sex, occupation and housing. The Bahamas conducts a census about every ten years to plan services.

The movement of people away from their own country to settle in another. Many Bahamians have emigrated to the United States for work, study and family reasons.

The movement of people into a country to live there. Migrants from Haiti and elsewhere have moved to The Bahamas, raising issues about work permits and documentation.

A community of people living outside the land of their birth or ancestry. The Bahamian diaspora sends money home, invests and keeps cultural ties alive.

A measure comparing people too young or too old to work with the number of working-age people. A high ratio means fewer workers support each dependent.

The industry of providing transport, lodging, food and entertainment to visitors. It is the largest sector of the Bahamian economy, earning most foreign currency and employing many workers.

Banking, insurance and investment services sold to foreign clients by firms based in a low-tax country. The Bahamas earns fees and taxes from this industry.

The total market value of goods and services produced within a country in a year. It measures the size of an economy and whether it is growing.

The difference between the value of a country's exports and the value of its imports. The Bahamas normally imports far more than it exports, producing a trade deficit.

The catching and processing of fish, conch, lobster and other sea life for food and sale. Fishing earns export income and supports livelihoods on the Family Islands.

The highest set of rules stating how a country is governed and what rights its people hold. The Bahamian Constitution took effect at independence and is hard to change.

A system of government modelled on Britain, in which the party winning most seats in parliament forms a government led by a prime minister.

The law-making body of The Bahamas, consisting of the House of Assembly, the Senate and the Governor-General. It debates, amends and passes laws.

The senior ministers chosen by the Prime Minister to lead government departments and decide policy. Cabinet acts collectively and answers to Parliament.

The official who represents the British monarch in The Bahamas and carries out ceremonial duties such as opening Parliament and approving laws.

The principle that everyone, including government ministers and officials, must obey the law and be judged fairly in open courts.

A traditional Bahamian festival of drumming, dancing and elaborate costumes held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day. It celebrates African heritage and neighbourhood pride.

A Bahamian music style using a goat-skin drum, an accordion and a carpenter's saw scraped with a metal tool. It is played at festivals and social gatherings.

The lifelong process through which people learn the language, values and behaviour expected in their society. Families, schools, churches and media are the main agents.

A family network that includes relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It provides childcare, money and support in hard times.

The Caribbean Community, an organisation of Caribbean states cooperating on trade, education, health and security. The Bahamas joined in 1983 but stays out of some economic arrangements.

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy, which lets goods, services, capital and skilled workers move freely among participating states. The Bahamas has chosen not to join it.

A union of British Caribbean colonies from 1958 to 1962 intended to become one independent country. Its collapse led to separate nationhood and later regional cooperation.

The growing linking of countries through trade, travel, communication and shared culture. It brings The Bahamas tourism and imported goods but also outside competition and ideas.

Long-term shifts in world temperatures and weather patterns caused mainly by burning fossil fuels. It threatens The Bahamas with stronger storms, rising seas and damaged reefs.

Development that meets today's needs without using up or ruining resources that future generations will need. It guides Bahamian policy on fishing, tourism and coastal building.

The basic freedoms and protections that belong to every person, such as life, fair trial, free expression and freedom from discrimination. They are protected in the Bahamian Constitution.