The Bahamas - Consular Information Sheet
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: The Bahamas is a country of many islands and has a developing economy. Tourist facilities are widely available on the main islands.
ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Visas are not required for U.S. citizens for stays up to eight months; however, U.S. citizens must carry original documentation proving U.S. citizenship (a valid or expired passport, a certified U.S. birth certificate or a Certificate of Naturalization), photo identification, and an onward/return ticket. Voter registration cards are not acceptable as proof of U.S. citizenship. There is an airport departure tax for travelers age six years and older. For further information, including entry/exit requirements, U.S. citizens may contact the Embassy of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, 2220 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 319-2660 or The Bahamas consulates in Miami at telephone (305) 373-6245 or New York at telephone (212) 421-6925. Additional information is available on The Bahamas’ Tourist Board web site at http://www.bahamas.com or telephone (800) 422-4262.
CRIME INFORMATION: Visitors should exercise normal caution and good judgment when visiting The Bahamas. Although violent crime is on the increase, most incidents take place in parts of Nassau or Freeport not usually frequented by tourists (the "over-the-hill" area in Nassau, the Lucaya area in Freeport). Hotel guests should always lock their doors and should never leave valuables unattended, especially on beaches. Visitors should store passport/identity documents, airline tickets, unused credit cards and extra cash in hotel safes, and avoid wearing expensive jewelry, particularly Rolex watches, which have been targeted increasingly by criminals. Visitors should not travel alone on deserted areas of beaches or poorly-lit areas at night.
The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport overseas should be reported to the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. A lost or stolen U.S. birth certificate and/or driver’s license generally cannot be replaced outside the United States. U.S. citizens may refer to the Department of State’s pamphlets, A Safe Trip Abroad, and Tips for Travelers to the Caribbean for ways to promote a more trouble-free journey. The pamphlets are available by mail from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, via the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs, or via the Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov.
MEDICAL FACILITIES: Medical care is generally good in Nassau and in Freeport, but may be limited in remote areas. Serious medical problems requiring hospitalization and/or medical evacuation to the U.
Jamaican heath care is very poor. There is only one small hospital for every parish. There are about three dozen hospitals or clinics on the island, but most are not reliable because of the violent crimes that consume the hospitals and most are overpopulated. Because of this, most people die at young ages.
societies to reexamine their view of the Caribbean. In this paper the following topics in The
I have always wanted to go to the Bahamas myself. I have had other people
After visiting the country of Jamaica this past summer, I realized how dissimilar some countries can be from the United States. Jamaica was not unlike the United States in a terrible way, but the disparities made me additionally interested in researching about the beautiful and culture-rich country of Jamaica. Even though the majority of facts about the history and culture of the United States and Jamaica are dissimilar, I was surprised to come across some similarities among these two countries.
Knight, Franklin W., The Caribbean, The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism. 1990 Oxford University Press, N.Y., N.Y.
Santa Catalina Island, often known as Catalina Island, is located off the coast of Southern California, southwest of Los Angeles. Catalina Island forms part of the Channel Islands archipelago. Catalina is the only island, out of eight, that has been significantly developed. There are two major settlement location within the island - the city of Avalon and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors (“Visit Catalina Island,” 2014). Beyond the town boundaries the island is covered by wild life that it is owned and operated by the Catalina Island Conservancy ("The Official Catalina Island Website,” 2013).
The official name of Panama is the Republic of Panama or (República de Panamá). Panama is located on the narrowest and lowest part of the Isthmus of Panama that links North America and South America. This part of the isthmus is situated between 7° and 10° north latitude and 77° and 83° west longitude. Panama is slightly smaller than South Carolina, approximately 77,082 square kilometers.
Haiti was once the first black independent republic in the world and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened to Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country experienced repeated civil war and foreign intervention. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Thus, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. It was out of concern for profit and stability within the United States' own backyard. The purpose of this paper is to show the negative aspect that the United States had played in the government of Haiti.
The United States interest in Haiti, as mentioned above, began a huge increase in the first decade of the twentieth century. The extent of U. S. economic penetration was not as great as that of France and Germany, but by 1910 it controlled sixty percent of Haiti’s import industry. Unfortunately, the Haitian banking system did not follow this path and was, at this time, "perilously close to domination by European interests." (Langley, 1982, 70) In an effort to gain more control over Haitian economic affairs, the United States engaged in a battle with France and Germany over the Banque Nationale. Two banks from the U. S. attempted to obtain control of the bank but lost out to a German bank, which proceeded to ally itself with the Banque’s French managers in an effort to acquire domination. But the United States protested the exclusion of American banks so forcefully that the French and Germans folded and agreed to let the two American banks have a fifty percent share in the Banque Nationale. With a foot in the door, the Americans essentially took control of the Banque’s management. In doing so they gained much influence over the Haitian government executives, who relied on the Banque to cover monthly expenses. This would prove to be a huge asset in terms of fulfilling American interests in Haiti in the future.
United States and Jamaica have many similarities such as they were both under British rule for several years, and they both elect officials to govern the country. However the differences between the two are quite vast when it comes to the quality of education, government, and healthcare. When the three are compared it is clear to see that in terms of where is a better place for a child to grow up the United States is a better place to be.
Martinique is a Caribbean island, which also happens to be a department of France. Due to the different people that are living there, and their cultural and social backgrounds, it makes Martinique a very unique place to live. Much of Martinique’s social policy and culture is influenced by France and their structures, mainly because unlike many other European colonizers, France never gave up or lost its hold on Martinique (Revauger). What are unique to Martinique as their own island, however, are their race, class, and gender systems. Though this has bee influenced by France, various other Caribbean islands, and the West Indies through various contacts with each culture and their people, it is combined into a culture that is all their own.
Crime is the first important major issue in the Bahamas. The crime rate is alarmingly increasing in the Bahamas. According to Celeste Nixon a tribune Staff, states in her article that “a new study reveals that the Bahamas murder rate is three time higher per capita t...
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1), implications for what tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into matter. Since the 1970’s research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse affects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574). The reason why tourism looks attractive (and thus turn a blind eye) to these Caribbean countries is because of “its potential to foster GDP growth, to create employment, to increase foreign exchange earnings, and attract capital investment” (Daye, Chambers, and Roberts 2). This paper will overview such impacts by first discussing a case study conducted in Jamaican resort town, Ocho Rios, with Sheere Brooks discussing the observed social, cultural and economical consequences of Jamaica’s reliance on the tourism industry and will finally look at tourism in relation to capitalism, with Robert Fletcher suggesting in his article that the tourism industry (and more specifically...