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

total: 2,400 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: gravel 1,050 km

Merchant marine

879 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,424,439 GRT/33,330,160 DWT, bulk 167, cargo 148, chemical tanker 43, combination bulk 8, combination ore/oil 20, container 48, liquefied gas 18, oil tanker 177, passenger 54, refrigerated cargo 132, roll-on/roll-off cargo 41, short-sea passenger 16, vehicle carrier 7 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)

Agriculture

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

Budget

revenues: $628.5 million expenditures: $574 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $1 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $345 million

Electricity

capacity: 424,000 kW production: 929 million kWh consumption per capita: 3,599 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

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

Exports

$310 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish partners: US 51%, UK 7%, Norway 7%, France 6%, Italy 5%

External debt

$1.2 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; also money-laundering center

Imports

$1.2 billion (f.o.b,,1992) commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels, crude oil partners: US 32%, Japan 17%, Nigeria 12%, Denmark 7%, Norway 6%

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)

6.5% (1991)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $4.4 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$16,500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

2% (1991)

Overview

The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides about 40% 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

5.7% (1992 est.)

Area

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

Climate

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Coastline

3,542 km

Environment

current issues: NA natural hazards: subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

Caribbean, 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

Executive branch

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 A. INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Orville A. TURNQUEST (since 19 August 1992) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor on the prime minister's recommendation

FAX

(202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

FAX

(809) 328-7838

Flag

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

House of Assembly

elections 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

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

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: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas

National holiday

National Day, 10 July (1973)

Political parties and leaders

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM;

Senate

a 16-member body appointed by the governor general

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

commonwealth

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lino GUTIERREZ embassy: Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau telephone: (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206

Birth rate

18.86 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

5.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black 85%, white 15%

Infant mortality rate

33.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 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: 71.52 years male: 67.66 years female: 75.49 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian

Net migration rate

2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

273,055 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.57% (1994 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

1.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)