In 1968, the discovery of huge blocks of limestone carefully aligned some 800 m long and forming a kind of submarine route near the coast of North Bimini reinforced the hypothesis that Atlantis is in the Bahamas archipelago. Divers can easily discover this route at a depth of only 7m

A term that you will read and hear all the time in the Bahamas, for it is the name of the small islets that punctuate the Bahamian waters. Smaller than the islands, the cays, sometimes a simple outcrop of land emerging in the blue of the sea, are innumerable and reveal beautiful wild landscapes and often deserted beaches.

The islands' traditional languorous rhythm is inherited from the period of slavery, when slaves would challenge each other with humorous or polemical verses set to music to the rhythm of rattling sticks. This oratorical jousting became a more elaborate music with guitars and drums, enriched by the influences of African rhythms.

This large shell, known on the neighbouring French-speaking islands as the lambi, is a true culinary symbol of the Bahamas. The Bahamian reserves seem inexhaustible, and there are veritable shell graveyards, imposing mountains of white and pink cones that testify to the Bahamians' appetite for their flesh

The large cargo ships that carry freight between the islands are the heirs of a time when the aircraft did not exist. Today, these ships, privately owned, with regular inter-island rotations, also carry a few passengers, offering seats and sometimes berths at modest prices.

They connect the islands at a very modest pace

This is the Bahamian version of Haitian voodoo; it was particularly vivid on Cat Island. Of African origin, this religion mixes traditional medicine and witchcraft. The healer, medicine man, is a guarantor of traditions and a spiritual leader. And if you see a bottle hanging from a tree, don't touch it!

This is the English name for privateers and their ships. Appointed by the English government to fight against the French and Spanish, privateers wore a letter of marque that made their duties official. When captured, privateers were treated as prisoners of war and not as bandits.

Sloops are old traditional wooden boats with wide sails, for which there is still a workshop in the archipelago where they are still made in the traditional way, without modern tools. In the Exumas, the National Family Island Regatta, which takes place on the last weekend in April, is reserved for local sloops.

Mask, flippers and snorkel are the weapons needed to tackle this activity which is practiced all over the islands. The best sites are listed and outings are organized from all the hotels. The slightest swim can reveal some interesting undertow, and snorkeling is de rigueur in a program in the Bahamas

Carnival is one of the most authentic expressions of Bahamian culture. During the Christmas season, this colourful carnival is celebrated with joy throughout the islands. The festivities reach their climax in Nassau on Boxing Day (26 December), when the parade starts at 2am and ends around 11am

In terms of taxation, Bahamians are to be envied since they pay no more income or capital gains tax than local businesses. No inheritance tax. But financial companies registered in the country are under constant surveillance, particularly to combat money laundering.

How sweet to the ear is this Italian word which means "to do nothing"! It is undoubtedly the key word for holidays in the Bahamas... Lazing on the beach, lazing in the narrow streets of the villages, strolling on café terraces listening to calypso, swimming lazily in the translucent waters, in short, doing nothing... a whole program!