Bahamas Government Structure and National SymbolsBahamas Government is structured as a parliamentary democracy. The Constitution of the Bahamas is based on the Westminster Model; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch. As a member of the Commonwealth of Nations The Bahamas recognizes Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. The Governor-General is Her Majesty’s representative in The Bahamas and constitutes a symbol of the nation’s unity. The Cabinet constitutes the executive branch and has general direction and control of the Government of The Bahamas. It is necessary for the Cabinet to comprise at least nine Ministers inclusive of the Prime Minister and Attorney General. Parliament constitutes the Legislative branch of the Bahamas, which consists of a Senate and a House of Assembly. Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Bahamas. Judicial Authority is vested in the Judicature which comprises the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal with such jurisdiction, powers and authority as may be conferred on these Courts respectively by the Constitution or any other law. (This information is quoted from the official site on Bahamas Government, http://www.bahamas.gov.bs)
The Bahamas National Flower is the yellow elder (Tecoma stans). It grows wild in The Bahamas. The Yellow Elder Tree may reach a height of nearly twenty feet. The blooming period is from October to December, diminishing by March. The yellow elder is said to have medicinal uses against diabetes and digestive problems. 
The Bahamas National Tree is the Lignum Vitae(Guaiacum sanctum). The name is Latin for "wood of life." It is a small, slow growing tree that is now potentially endangered. One of the hardest and heaviest woods in existence, Lignum Vitae also produces natural oils that make it self-lubricating. For this reason, it was commonly used in ship's propeller stern-tube bearings until the 1960s with the introduction of sealed white metal bearings. It's medicinal uses include making a tea out of the wood chips to combat coughs and arthritis. The Lignum Vitae is characterized by clusters of small blue flowers at the branch tips. 
The Bahamas National Bird is the Flamingo. The Roseate or West Indian flamingoes (Phoenicopterus ruber) have a large breeding colony on Great Inagua. It is one of three major nesting groups found in the West Indian region. The other two being in the Yucatan, Mexico and Bonaire of the Netherlands Antilles. Long ago, these beautiful birds were found all over the Bahamas, but they were killed for food and sport and taken away on passing ships on which they died. Now they are a protected species and watched over by the Society for the Protection of the Flamingo in The Bahamas through the Bahamas National Trust, a statutory body set up in 1959. 
The Bahamas National Fish is the Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans). This is the famous fish from Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway spent a lot of time in the Bahamas on North Bimini Island. The Blue Marlin is featured on the Bahamas Crest along with the National Bird, the Flamingo. 
The Bahamas Government has its own Coat of Arms, or crest, which features a conch shell, palm fronds, the Santa Maria of Christopher Columbus, ocean waves, a splendid shining sun, a flamingo, and a blue marlin. It was designed with the help of two eleven year old Bahamian school children. The motto on the coat of arms says... “Forward Upward Onward Together.” 
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