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Like many areas in the Caribbean, the hundreds of islands and cays that make up the Bahamas were "discovered" and claimed by European explorers in the late 1400s. The road back to independence and self rule was long but relatively peaceful.

The history of the Bahamas between the time that the islands were settled and the centuries that passed before independence explains why the culture and people of the Bahamas are rich with native Caribbean, European and African influences.

The first settlers on many of the islands, thought to be predominantly the Arawak speaking Lucayan or Taino people but also included the Ciboney and the Carib people, arrived from South America sometime in the 9th Century. For hundreds of years the indigenous culture thrived and spread from island to island.

Columbus landed at San Salvador claimed the Caribbean islands for the Spanish on his first journey to the Americas in 1492. The word Bahamas is thought to come from the Arawak name for the islands, but some historians believe it comes from the Spanish, "Baja Mar," which means "shallow sea."

During the time that Spain controlled the islands, African slaves were brought to work in the plantation fields or in the homes of the plantation owners, government officials and other wealthy Spaniards. Most of the original population was destroyed through fighting and diseases brought to the islands by the new African and Spanish inhabitants.

The Dutch gained control of the islands of the Bahamas for a short time, but lost them to the English. The Islands were claimed by the English in 1670. The Bahamas remained mainly under British rule for the next 300 years. A brief — one year — return to Spanish rule in 1782 ended with the Bahamas once again British colonies.

Slavery was officially abolished in the Bahamas in 1838. Many former slaves remained on the land and eventually became land owners themselves. Although all residents of the Bahamas were free, the Islands remained a colony of the United Kingdom. The House of Assembly was established in 1729. This meant that much of the government of the country was actually based in the Bahamas. This history was a major factor that led to a peaceful negotiation for Bahama's Independence.

In 1964, after decades of debate and legal maneuvering, Great Britain granted The Islands Of The Bahamas limited self-government. The Bahamas became a British Commonwealth in 1969 ending the colonial rule, but not the British flavor of the islands.

The Islands became a nation on July 10, 1973, which is the date celebrated today as Bahamian Independence Day. This July 10th celebration of the beginning of Home Rule is an island party not to be missed.

Bahamas Sun Sets on the British Empire - The BBC news coverage of the ceremonies in 1973 which changed the Bahamas from a British Crown Colony to a country that is a full member of the Commonwealth. Prince Charles playing polo and ducking falling canopies were minor highlights of the day.

More on Junkanoo - A link to some pictures of costumes adds depth to this brief history of the junkanoo from geographia. They add a few ideas on where the word may have come from.

Bahamian Independence Day E-card - Send a greeting card to celebrate Bahamian Independence Day... by email. The blue, yellow and gold flag of the Bahamas waves to announce "It's Independence Day!"

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