Bahamas, The

Airports

total: 60 usable: 55 with permanent-surface runways: 31 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3, 659 m: 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 26

Highways

2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel

Merchant marine

853 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,136,078 GRT/33,119,750 DWT; includes 53 passenger, 18 short-sea passenger, 159 cargo, 40 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 48 container, 6 vehicle carrier, 181 oil tanker, 14 liquefied gas, 22 combination ore/oil, 43 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 159 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 102 refrigerated cargo; note-a flag of convenience registry

Ports

Freeport, Nassau

Telecommunications

highly developed; 99,000 telephones in totally automatic system; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida; broadcast stations-3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion-$65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 68,020; fit for military service NA (1993 est.)

Agriculture

accounts for 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal products-citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of food

Budget

revenues $627.5 million; expenditures $727.5 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $1.0 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $345 million

Electricity

424,000 kW capacity; 929 million kWh produced, 3,599 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1-1.00 (fixed rate)

Exports

$306 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish partners: US 41%, Norway 30%, Denmark 4%

External debt

$1.2 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine

Imports

$1.14 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels, crude oil partners: US 35%, Nigeria 21%, Japan 13%, Angola 11%

Industrial production

growth rate 3% (1990); accounts for 15% of GDP

Industries

tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral welded steel pipe

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.2% (1991)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $2.6 billion (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$10,200 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

3% (1991)

Overview

The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income, developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides about 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000 people or 40% of the local work force. The economy has slackened in recent years, as the annual increase in the number of tourists slowed. Nonetheless, per capita GDP is one of the highest in the region.

Unemployment rate

16% (1991 est.)

Area

total area: 13,940 km2 land area: 10,070 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut

Climate

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Coastline

3,542 km

Environment

subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood damage

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA km2

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 1% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 32% other: 67%

Location

in the western North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida and northwest of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm

Natural resources

salt, aragonite, timber

Note

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

Terrain

long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

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

Capital

Nassau

Constitution

10 July 1973

Digraph

BF

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy Baswell DONALDSON chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 319-2660 consulates general: Miami and New York

Elections

House of Assembly: last held 19 August 1992 (next to be held by August 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (49 total) FNM 32, PLP 17

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford DARLING (since 2 January 1992) Head of Government: Prime Minister Hubert INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992)

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an appointed upper house or Senate and a directly elected lower house or House of Assembly

Member of

ACP, C, CCC, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Names

conventional long form: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas

National holiday

National Day, 10 July (1973)

Other political or pressure groups

Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel CAREY; Trade Union Congress (TUC), headed by Arlington MILLER

Political parties and leaders

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM; Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNPS), Lionel CAREY, chairman; People's Democratic Force (PDF), Fred MITCHELL

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

commonwealth

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Chic HECHT embassy: Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau telephone: (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206 FAX: (809) 328-7838

Birth rate

18.97 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

5.15 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black 85%, white 15%

Infant mortality rate

31.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

127,400 by occupation: government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%, agriculture 5% (1989)

Languages

English, Creole, among Haitian immigrants

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.02 years male: 68.19 years female: 75.96 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963) total population: 90% male: 90% female: 89%

Nationality

noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian

Net migration rate

2.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

268,726 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

1.62% (1993 est.)

Religions

Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%

Total fertility rate

1.9 children born/woman (1993 est.)