CHAPTER XXVI 



THE BAHAMAS 



General geographic features. Dissimilarity to other West Indian Islands. 

 Products and population. Poverty and decadence of the people. 

 Varied race character of the blacks. 



HAVING described the Great Antilles except the Vir- 

 gin Islands, let us now turn to the other islands of 

 the West Indies, most of which occur along an immense 

 semicircular stretch, over a thousand miles in length, be- 

 tween eastern Florida and the mouth of the Orinoco. 

 These islands, with the exception of the Virgin group, just 

 east of Porto Rico, are entirely different in their physio- 

 graphic features and natural resources from the Great 

 Antilles, and in many cases from one another. 



Before reading individual descriptions of them, it is well 

 to take a map and study closely their succession and rela- 

 tive position, and endeavor to fix in our minds a prelimi- 

 nary classification. The first striking fact is their subdivi- 

 sion into two grand groups lying north and south of the 

 longitude of the Great Antillean trend. The mere study 

 of the map, however, fails to show the great physical 

 differences which separate these groups still more dis- 

 tinctly. In fact, they differ from one another in every 

 aspect geologic structure, vegetation, productivity, cli- 

 mate, and fitness for human habitation. 



The northern group, between Florida and the east end of 



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