Bahama Islands or Bahamas, officially Commonwealth of the Bahamas, independent state, Caribbean region, and a member of the Commonwealth. The Bahamas comprise an archipelago of about 700 islands and islets, and nearly 2,400 cays and rocks in the Atlantic Ocean, extending for about 1,200 km (750 mi) from a point south-east of Palm Beach, Florida, United States, to a point off the eastern tip of Cuba. The Biminis, the westernmost of the group, are about 97 km (60 mi) east of Florida. Only about 40 of the islands are inhabited. New Providence is economically the most important of the group and contains more than half of the total population. The second major island is Grand Bahama, the most northerly of the group. The other islands, all of which are low-lying are known as the Family Islands, chief of which are the Abacos (Great and Little), Acklins, Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, the Exumas, Harbour Island, Inagua (Great and Little), Long Island, Mayaguana, Rum Cay, and San Salvador. The area of the Bahamas is 13,939 sq km (5,382 sq mi). The capital of the islands is Nassau on New Providence.