Transport in the Bahamas
Encyclopedia
Highways
Approximately 2717 kilometres (1,688.3 mi) of road in the Bahamas is classified as highwayHighway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
. Of these, approximately 1560 kilometres (969.3 mi) are paved. As a former British colony, drivers drive on the left.
Ports and harbours
MarinaMarina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s and harbours are plentiful on The Bahamas islands, making aquatic travel an easy way to navigate between the islands group. Boat travel can be the only way to reach some of the smaller islands. Travelers entering the island will need to clear customs first, but boatsmen can enter any of the following ports of entry and harbours in The Bahamas:
- Abaco IslandsAbaco IslandsThe Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
: Green Turtle CayGreen Turtle CayGreen Turtle Cay is an island in The Bahamas. It is located in the "Abaco Out Islands" and is long and 1/2 mile wide. It was named after the abundance of green turtles that inhabited the area. The population of the island is about 450 and its main settlement is New Plymouth which was founded in...
, Marsh HarbourMarsh HarbourMarsh Harbour is a town in Abaco Islands, Bahamas, with a population of 5,314.With more than five thousand residents, Marsh Harbour is the third largest town in The Bahamas, and the main focus of tourism in the Abacos. Marsh Harbour is a shipbuilding center, but tourism accounts for most of its...
, Spanish Cay, Treasure CayTreasure CayTreasure Cay, Bahamas is a small coastal community on the east coast of the island of Abaco in the Bahamas. Treasure Cay is approximately 165 miles due east of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States....
, or Walker's CayWalker's CayWalker's Cay is an island located at the tip of the Abaco islands in the Bahamas, popular for sports fishing and scuba diving.Walker's Cay is the northernmost island in the Bahamas.The Walker's Cay marine area was declared a national park in 2002.... - Berry IslandsBerry IslandsThe Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district of the Bahamas, covering about thirty square miles of the north western part of the Out Islands...
: Chub Cay and Great Harbour Cay - BiminiBiminiBimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas composed of a chain of islands located about 53 miles due east of Miami, Florida. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately 137 miles west-northwest of Nassau...
: Alice TownAlice TownAlice Town is a town in the Bahamas. It is located on North Bimini island. It is the centre of the tourist trade on the island: there are several hotels, bars and restaurants. North of Alice Town is the main settlement called Bailey Town. To the north of Bailey Town is Porgy Bay.... - Cat Cays: Hawksnest Marina
- EleutheraEleutheraEleuthera is an island in The Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000...
: Governor's HarbourGovernor's HarbourGovernor's Harbour is a former district of the Bahamas. It corresponds roughly to the current district of Central Eleuthera....
, Harbour Island, Rock Sound, or Spanish WellsSpanish WellsSpanish Wells is one of the districts of the Bahamas.Spanish Wells is a small island located approximately one mile off the northern tip of Eleuthera island. It has a population of approximately 1,500 residents. It is so small that many residents get around the island using golf carts instead of... - ExumaExumaExuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 360 islands . The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma by a small bridge. The capital and largest city in the district is George Town , founded 1793 and located on Great...
: George Town - Grand Bahama Island: FreeportFreeport, BahamasFreeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
Harbour, Lucayan Marina Village and Port LucayaLucaya, BahamasLucaya is a suburb of Freeport, Bahamas a city on the Island of Grand Bahama approximately 105 mi east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, or Old Bahama Bay at West EndWest End, Grand BahamaWest End is the oldest town and westernmost settlement on the Bahamian island of Grand Bahama. It is the current capital of Grand Bahama, contrary to the belief that Freeport City is the capital of the island. It is also the third largest settlement in the Bahamas... - InaguaInaguaInagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas at 596 sq mi and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba. The island is about 55 x 19 miles in extent, the highest point...
: Matthew TownMatthew TownMatthew Town is the chief and only settlement on Great Inagua Island of the Bahamas. It is located on the southwest corner of the island. It was named after Bahamian Governor George Matthew and first settled during his tenure in office... - Long IslandLong Island, BahamasLong Island is an island in the Bahamas that is split by the Tropic of Cancer. Its capital is Clarence Town. Long Island is one of the Districts of the Bahamas and is known as the most scenic island in the Bahamas. The population is roughly 4,000 inhabitants.-Geography:Long Island is about 130...
: Stella Maris Airport - MayaguanaMayaguanaMayaguana is the most easterly island and district of the Bahamas. It is one of only a few Bahamian islands which retain their Lucayan names. The population of Mayaguana in the 2000 census was 259, amounting to an estimate 312 in 2010...
: Abraham's BayAbraham's BayAbraham's Bay is a town in the Bahamas. It is located on Mayaguana island.... - NassauNassau, BahamasNassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
/New Providence Island: Any marina - San SalvadorSan Salvador IslandSan Salvador Island, also known as Watlings Island, is an island and district of the Bahamas. Until 1986, when the National Geographic Society suggested Samana Cay, it was widely believed that during his first expedition to the New World, San Salvador Island was the first land sighted and visited...
: Cockburn Town
Facilities catering to large passenger cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s are located on Grand Bahama Island and New Providence. The Lucayan Harbour Cruise Facility in Freeport and Nassau harbour's Prince George Wharf are built specifically to handle multiple modern cruise ships at one time. Additionally, several major cruise line corporations have each purchased an uninhabited island which they now operate as private island destinations available exclusively to their respective ships. These include Great Stirrup Cay
Great Stirrup Cay
Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers....
, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or...
, Little Stirrup Cay
Little Stirrup Cay
Little Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, is one of the Berry Islands, a collection of cays and small islands and is located approximately 55 miles north of Nassau. The island is less than a mile wide from east to west and less than a 200 yards from north to south...
otherwise known as Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...
's "Coco Cay", Carnival Corporation's
Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc , is a American-British Company, and the world's largest cruise ship operator. It is a dual listed company, with headquarters at Carnival Place in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida, USA, and at Carnival House in Southampton, England, UK...
Little San Salvador Island
Little San Salvador Island
Little San Salvador Island, Bahamas , is one of about 700 islands that make up the archipelago of the Bahamas. It is located roughly halfway between Eleuthera and Cat Island...
or "Half Moon Cay", and Castaway Cay
Castaway Cay
'Castaway Cay' is a private island in the Bahamas which serves as an exclusive port for the Disney Cruise Line ships Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy. It is located near Great Abaco Island, and was formerly known as Gorda Cay...
, of Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line company owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Karl Holz. Disney Cruise Line operates the Disney Cruise Line Terminal,...
. Of these, only Castaway Cay offers ships an actual pier for docking. The others use tender boats
Ship's tender
A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
to service ships anchored off shore.
Merchant marine
The Bahamas are one of the world's top three flag of convenienceFlag of convenience
The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the...
shipping registries.
Airports
The main airports on the islands are Lynden Pindling International AirportLynden Pindling International Airport
- Trivia :During World War II,it was known as Windsor Field used by the Royal Air Force Transferring Fighter and Bomber aircraft such as the B-17, B-24, and the P-40 from New Providence to Italian, North African and European Theatres of War and as a station for Consolidated Liberator I and North...
on New Providence, Grand Bahama International Airport
Grand Bahama International Airport
Grand Bahama International Airport is a privately owned international airport in Freeport, Bahamas. The airport is a joint venture between Hutchison Port Holdings and The Port Group...
on Grand Bahama Island, and Marsh Harbour International Airport
Marsh Harbour Airport
Marsh Harbour Airport is an airport serving Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands in The Bahamas.Marsh Harbour is a major tourist attraction in the Bahamas. The airport serves Nassau and a few Florida cities...
on Abaco Island. Out of 62 airports in all, 33 have paved runways, of which there are two that are over 3,047 meters long.
Airports with paved runways:
- total: 23
- over 3,047 m: 2
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
- 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2008)
Airports with unpaved runways:
- total: 39
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
- 914 to 1,523 m: 12
- under 914 m: 22 (2008)
Airlines
BahamasairBahamasair
Bahamasair Holdings Limited, operating as Bahamasair, is an airline based in the Bahamasair House in Nassau, Bahamas. It is the national airline and operates domestic scheduled services to 15 destinations and regional scheduled services to Havana and four cities in Florida. Its main base is Lynden...
is the national flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
airline of the Bahamas.
Heliports
A heliportHeliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
is located on Paradise Island
Paradise Island
Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of New Providence. It is best known for the sprawling 'Vegas-by-the-sea resort' Atlantis.Paradise...
, as well as other smaller islands, such as the various cruise line
Cruise line
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the ship's captain,...
private islands.