Bahamas Population: 313,312
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| Background | |
| Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas has prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US and Europe, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. |
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| Geography | |
| Strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited | |
| Location: | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba |
| Geographic coordinates: | 24 15 N, 76 00 W |
| Area: | total: 13,880 sq km land: 10,010 sq km water: 3,870 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 3,542 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
| Terrain: | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia on Cat Island 63 m |
| Natural resources: | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
| Land use: | arable land: 0.58% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 99.13% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 10 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage |
| Current Environment Issues: | coral reef decay; solid waste disposal |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 313,312 (July 2011 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 24.4% (male 38,834/female 37,715) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 106,882/female 110,081) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 7,578/female 12,222) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 30.2 years male: 29.1 years female: 31.3 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.922% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 16.1 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 13.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.18 years male: 68.8 years female: 73.63 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.99 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 3.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 6,600 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 500 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian |
| Ethnic groups: | black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
| Religions: | Protestant 67.6% (Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%), Roman Catholic 13.5%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas |
| Government type: | constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital: | name: Nassau geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November |
| Administrative divisions: | 31 districts; Acklins Islands, Berry Islands, Bimini, Black Point, Cat Island, Central Abaco, Central Andros, Central Eleuthera, City of Freeport, Crooked Island and Long Cay, East Grand Bahama, Exuma, Grand Cay, Harbour Island, Hope Town, Inagua, Long Island, Mangrove Cay, Mayaguana, Moore's Island, North Abaco, North Andros, North Eleuthera, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, South Abaco, South Andros, South Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, West Grand Bahama |
| Independence: | 10 July 1973 (from the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) |
| Constitution: | 10 July 1973 |
| Legal system: | common law system based on the English model |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Arthur A. FOULKES (since 14 April 2010) head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time elections: last held on 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18 |
| Judicial branch: | Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; Magistrates' Courts |
| Political parties and leaders: | Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Friends of the Environment other: trade unions |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Nicole A. AVANT embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 328-2206 |
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| Economy | |
| The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Prior to 2006, a steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to solid GDP growth but since then tourism receipts have begun to drop off. The global recession in 2009 took a sizeable toll on the Bahamas, resulting in a contraction in GDP and a widening budget deficit. The decline continued in 2010 as tourism from the US and sector investment lagged. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% of GDP. However, the financial sector currently is smaller than it has been in the past because of the enactment of new and stricter financial regulations in 2000 that caused many international businesses to relocate elsewhere. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.921 billion (2010 est.) $8.877 billion (2009 est.) $9.275 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $7.538 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 0.5% (2010 est.) -4.3% (2009 est.) -1.7% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $28,700 (2010 est.) $28,900 (2009 est.) $30,400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.6% industry: 8.1% services: 90.3% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 184,000 (2009) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 5% industry: 5% tourism: 50% other services: 40% (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.6% (2006 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 9.3% (2004) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: 27% (2000) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $1.3 billion expenditures: $1.3 billion (2010 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | citrus, vegetables; poultry |
| Industries: | tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 1.945 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 1.907 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 35,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | transshipments of 41,610 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 70,990 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$1.038 billion (2010 est.) -$861 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $682.4 million (2010 est.) $710.7 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables |
| Exports - partners: | US 35.9%, Singapore 18.1%, Germany 15.6%, Dominican Republic 7.9% (2010) |
| Imports: | $2.667 billion (2010 est.) $2.535 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals |
| Imports - partners: | US 23.6%, Venezuela 19.3%, South Korea 11.3%, France 8%, India 7.5%, Japan 6.7%, Singapore 5.4%, China 4.6% (2010) |
| Debt - external: | $342.6 million (2004 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2009) 1 (2008) 1 (2007) 1 (2006) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 129,000 (2009) country comparison to the world: 141 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 358,800 (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband Internet services international: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .bs |
| Internet hosts: | 21,939 (2010) |
| Internet users: | 115,800 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 62 (2010) country comparison to the world: 78 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 39 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 22 (2010) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 2,717 km paved: 1,560 km unpaved: 1,157 km (2002) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1,170 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 229, cargo 191, carrier 2, chemical tanker 80, combination ore/oil 8, container 50, liquefied gas 78, passenger 100, passenger/cargo 29, petroleum tanker 222, refrigerated cargo 106, roll on/roll off 12, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 60 foreign-owned: 1,080 (Angola 5, Belgium 9, Bermuda 12, Brazil 1, Canada 102, China 4, Croatia 1, Cyprus 14, Denmark 59, Finland 8, France 19, Germany 39, Greece 209, Guernsey 6, Hong Kong 2, Indonesia 2, Ireland 3, Italy 5, Japan 93, Jordan 2, Kuwait 2, Malaysia 13, Monaco 14, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 22, Nigeria 2, Norway 198, Poland 32, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 7, Slovenia 1, Spain 9, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 4, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 3, UAE 27, UK 24, US 100) note: this country allows large numbers of ships owned by foreign entities to be registered in its national shipping registry and to fly its flag; these ships operate under the laws of the flag state registered in other countries: 10 (Bolivia 1, Malta 1, Panama 7, Peru 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age; no conscription (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 85,568 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 63,429 females age 16-49: 64,645 (2010 est.) |
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