The Bahamas is a country.
The Bahamas ( [ bəˈhɑːməz ] ) , known officially as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas , is an archipelagic state within the Lucayan Archipelago . The designation of `` the Bahamas '' can refer either to the country or to the larger island chain that it shares with the Turks and Caicos Islands . In terms of gross domestic product per capita , the Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas ( following the United States and Canada ) , with an economy based on tourism and finance .