Bahamas, The

Airports

59 total, 54 usable; 30 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3, 659 m; 26 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

11 major transport aircraft

Highways

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

Merchant marine

778 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,129,173 GRT/30,002,421 DWT; includes 48 passenger, 19 short-sea passenger, 152 cargo, 37 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 42 container, 6 vehicle carrier, 1 railcar carrier, 172 petroleum tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 16 combination ore/oil, 47 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 143 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 78 refrigerated cargo; note--a flag of convenience registry *** No entry for this item ***

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 *** No entry for this item ***

Branches

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

Branches

Force

Defense expenditures

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

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 68,020; NA fit for military service

Agriculture

accounts for less than 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal products--citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of food *** No entry for this item ***

Budget

revenues $627.5 million; expenditures $727.5 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1992, projected) *** No entry for this item ***

Currency

Bahamian dollar (plural--dollars); 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

368,000 kw capacity; 857 million kWh produced 3,339 kWh per capita (1991)

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

GDP

purchasing power equivalent--$2.5 billion, per capita $9,900; real growth rate 1.0% (1990 est.) *** No entry for this item ***

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine

Imports

$1.14 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.); commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels; 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 *** No entry for this item ***

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7.3% (1991 est.)

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, the per capita GDP of $9,900 is one of the highest in the region.

Unemployment rate

16.0% (1991)

Climate

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Coastline

3,542 km

Comparative area

slightly larger than Connecticut

Disputes

none

Environment

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

Land area

10,070 km2

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 32%; other 67%

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

Total area

13,940 km2

Administrative divisions

21 districts; Abaco, Acklins Island, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Biminis, Cat Island, Cay Lobos, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island, Inagua, Long Cay, Long Island, Mayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Spanish Wells

Capital

Nassau

Constitution

10 July 1973

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Margaret E. McDONALD; Chancery at 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 319-2660; there are Bahamian Consulates General in Miami and New York; US: Ambassador Chic HECHT; Embassy at Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau (mailing address is P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau); telephone (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206; FAX (809) 328-7838

Diplomatic representation

*** No entry for this item ***

Elections

House of Assembly: last held 19 June 1987 (next to be held by NA June 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(49 total) PLP 32, FNM 17 *** No entry for this item ***

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 Acting Governor General Sir Clifford DARLING (since 2 January 1992) Head of Government: Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar PINDLING (since 16 January 1967)

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

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

Long-form name

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

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

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

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

commonwealth

Birth rate

19 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

black 85%, white 15%

Infant mortality rate

19 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

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

Languages

English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants

Life expectancy at birth

69 years male, 76 years female (1992)

Literacy

90% (male 90%, female 89%) age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963 est.)

Nationality

noun--Bahamian(s); adjective--Bahamian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

25% of labor force

Population

255,811 (July 1992), growth rate 1.4% (1992)

Religions

Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% (1980)

Total fertility rate

2.2 children born/woman (1992)