Definition of Bahamas in English:
Bahamas
A country consisting of an archipelago off the south-eastern coast of Florida, part of the West Indies; population 388,000 (estimated 2015); languages, English (official), Creole; capital, Nassau.
It was there that Columbus made his first landfall in the New World (12 October 1492). The islands were a British colony from the 18th century until they gained independence within the Commonwealth in 1973
Definition of Bahamas in US English:
Bahamas
A country consisting of an archipelago off the southeastern coast of Florida, part of the West Indies; population 388,000 (estimated 2015); languages, English (official), Creole; capital, Nassau.
It was here that Columbus first landed in the New World (Oct. 12, 1492). The islands were a British colony from the 18th century until they gained independence within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1973