The Bahamas

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida

Area

Total area: 13,940 sq km
Land area: 10,070 sq km
Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

3,542 km

Maritime Claims

Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 3 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain

Long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia 63 m

Natural Resources

Salt
Aragonite
Timber

Land Use

Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Forest and woodland: 32%
Other: 67%

Irrigated Land

Environment

Current issues: coral reef decay
Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage
International agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

Note: Strategic location adjacent to U.S. and Cuba; extensive island chain

PEOPLE

Population

259,367 (July 1996 est.)
256,616 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

28% (male 36,331; female 35,771) (July 1996 est.)
28% (male 36,504; female 35,924) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

67% (male 84,107; female 89,193) (July 1996 est.)
66% (male 82,780; female 87,868) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

5% (male 5,449; female 8,516) (July 1996 est.)
6% (male 5,293; female 8,247) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.05% (1996 est.)
1.09% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

18.73 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
19.23 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.74 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.79 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-2.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-2.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

23.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
24.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 72.53 years (1996 est.); 72.12 years (1995 est.)
Male: 67.98 years (1996 est.); 67.37 years (1995 est.)
Female: 77.16 years (1996 est.); 76.97 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.97 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.01 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Bahamian(s)
Adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic Divisions

Black 85%
White 15%

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, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Literacy

Age 15 and over can read and write but definition of literary not available (1995 est.)

Total population: 98.2%
Male: 98.5%
Female: 98%

Labor Force

136,900 (1993)

By occupation:

Government 30%
Tourism 40%
Business services 10%
Agriculture 5% (1995 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Names

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

Digraph

Type

Commonwealth

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, Nicholls Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence

10 July 1973 (from U.K.)

National Holiday

National 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) is a hereditary monarch, represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995) who was appointed by the queen
Head of government: Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since NA) were appointed by the governor general
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor on the prime minister's recommendation

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament

Senate

A 16-member body appointed by the governor general

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

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

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

Member of

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs 40% of the archipelago's labor force. A slowdown in the expansion of the tourism sector - especially stopover travel from Europe - led to a reduction in the country's GDP growth rate in 1995, down to an estimated 2% from 3.5% in 1994. The construction sector benefited from hotel rehabilitation and the government's ongoing housing development program. Earnings from exports of vegetable and citrus production have been decreasing since 1993 but are expected to increase in 1996 due to storm damage to crops in Florida. The overall growth prospects through 1996 will depend heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector and continued income growth in the US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visits.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.8 billion (1995 est.); $4.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2% (1995 est.)
3.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$18,700 (1995 est.)
$15,900 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

1.5% (1994)
2.7% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

15% (1995 est.)
13.1% (1993)

Budget

Revenues: $665 million (FY95/96); $696 million (FY94/95)
Expenditures: $725 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (FY95/96 est.); $756 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY94/95)

Exports

$224.257 million (f.o.b., 1994)
$257 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Pharmaceuticals
Cement
Rum
Crawfish
Refined petroleum products

Partners:

U.S. 51%
U.K. 7%
Norway 7%
France 6%
Italy 5%

Imports

$1.08 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
$1.15 billion (f.o.b,,1993 est.)

Commodities:

Foodstuffs
Manufactured goods
Crude oil
Vehicles
Electronics

Partners:

U.S. 55%
Japan 17%
Nigeria 12%
Denmark 7%
Norway 6%

External Debt

$407.8 million (December 1994)
$455 million (December 1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 3% (1990); accounts for 35% of GDP

Electricity

Capacity: 424,000 kW
Production: 929 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 3,200 kWh (1993)

Industries

Tourism
Banking
Cement
Oil refining and transshipment
Salt production
Rum
Aragonite
Pharmaceuticals
Spiral welded steel pipe

Agriculture

Accounts for 3% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal products - citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of food

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for U.S. and Europe; also a money-laundering center

Economic Aid

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

Currency

1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

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

Fiscal Year

1 July - 30 June

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 2,386 km
Paved: 1,342 km
Unpaved: gravel 1,044 km (1986 est.)

Ports

Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau

Merchant Marine

Total: 956 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,592,285 GRT/35,765,965 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 176, cargo 182, chemical tanker 43, combination bulk 9, combination ore/oil 19, container 53, liquefied gas tanker 20, oil tanker 180, passenger 53, refrigerated cargo 147, roll-on/roll-off cargo 47, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle carrier 14

Note: A flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 48 countries among which are Norway 155, Greece 124, U.S. 84, Denmark 63, Netherlands 44, Sweden 36, Finland 34, France 29, Japan 29 and Belgium 24 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 55
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
With paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
With paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
With paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 11
With paved runways under 914 m: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

119,000 telephones (1987 est.); totally automatic system; highly developed

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: 200,000 (1993 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 60,000 (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

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

Manpower availability

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $20 million, 3.8% of GDP (FY95/96); $65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)

History
World Atlas

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