The Bahamas

摘要

The archipelago of the Bahamas contains the largest tropical shallow water area in the Western Atlantic. Lo- cated on the northern and eastern margins of two large submerged banks and a number of smaller more isolated banks, the Bahama Islands, of which there are over 700, are low-lying and composed of limestone. A sub-tropical climate and a geographic position between two major warm ocean currents affect the region with seasonal variability, which influences he biological communities inhabiting the ocean and coastal areas.