World Countries Info
> Bahamas > Nassau
Arawak 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 have 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 its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants
into the US.
Geography of the Bahamas
|
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: 13,940 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Connecticut |
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km |
|
Coastline:
|
3,542 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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: 0.6%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 99% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA sq km |
|
Natural hazards:
|
hurricanes and other
tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
coral reef decay; solid
waste disposal |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to:
Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
strategic location adjacent
to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited
|
Population of the Bahamas
|
Population:
|
299,697
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
and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 28.3% (male 42,474;
female 42,423)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 96,825; female 99,985)
65 years and over: 6% (male 7,351; female 10,639) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 27.3 years
male: 26.5 years
female: 28 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.72% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
18.22 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
8.82 deaths/1,000 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 31.73 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 65.63 years
male: 62.21 years
female: 69.11 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.23 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
3.5% (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
6,200 (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
610 (2001 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
|
Religions:
|
Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic
19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% |
|
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.)
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Commonwealth
of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas |
|
Government type:
|
constitutional parliamentary democracy |
|
Capital:
|
Nassau |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands,
Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay,
Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New
Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San
Salvador and Rum Cay |
|
Independence:
|
10 July 1973 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 10 July (1973) |
|
Constitution:
|
10 July 1973 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on English common law |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II
(since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Ivy DUMONT (since NA May
2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy
Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's
recommendation
elections: none; the monarch 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-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister
and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 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 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents
5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates
courts |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy
TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] |
Economy
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on
tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and
directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in
tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had
led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the
attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. Financial
services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting
for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new
regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The
Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together 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,
which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. In
addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a
"third pillar," e-commerce.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $5.099 billion
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
1% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $16,800 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (2001 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2000 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
1.7% (2002 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
156,000 (1999) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
tourism 50%, other services 40%, industry
5%, agriculture 5% (1999 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
6.9% (2001 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $918.5 million
expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million
(FY99/00) |
|
Industries:
|
tourism, banking, e-commerce, cement, oil
refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel
pipe |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA% (2002 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
1.56 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
1.451 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
citrus, vegetables; poultry |
|
Exports:
|
$617 million (2002 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals;
fruit and vegetables |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US 37.8%, Germany 11.8%, Spain 10.4%, Peru
8.6%, France 7.1%, Mexico 4.2% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$1.614 billion (2002 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals |
|
Imports - partners:
|
US 18.4%, South Korea 18.3%, Germany 10.5%,
Norway 9.2%, Japan 9.1%, Italy 6.6%, Venezuela 4.1% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$308.5 million (2002) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$9.8 million (1995) |
|
Currency:
|
Bahamian dollar (BSD) |
|
Currency code:
|
BSD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2003),
1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 July - 30 June
|
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Some Copyrights Reserved © 2006 Free Global Information
|
