Map of The Bahamas | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Lucayan 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 Europe and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.


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Location: Caribbean chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida northeast of Cuba

Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N 76 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 13,940 km²
Land: 10,070 km²
Water: 3,870 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 3,542 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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
Extremes highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Natural resources: salt aragonite timber arable land

Land use
Arable land: 0.58%
Permanent crops: 0.29%
Other: 99.13% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: NA

Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage

Geography
Note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited


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Population
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.57% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bahamian
Adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups: black 85% white 12% Asian and Hispanic 3%

Languages: English (official) Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Religions: Baptist 35.4% Anglican 15.1% Roman Catholic 13.5% Pentecostal 8.1% Church of God 4.8% Methodist 4.2% other Christian 15.2% none or unspecified 2.9% other 0.8% (2000 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 40,608/female 40,506)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 101,150/female 104,457)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 8,472/female 12,258) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 28.4 years
Male: 27.6 years
Female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.57% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 17.06 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.22 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.14 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male/female
Under 15 years: 1 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 23.67 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 28.89 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 18.34 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.72 years
Male: 62.5 years
Female: 69 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 3% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 5,600 (2003 est.)
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2000)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.6%
Male: 94.7%
Female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Nassau
Geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W
Time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 10 July (1973)

Constitution: 10 July 1973

Legal system: based on English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006)
Head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
Elections: 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
Elections: last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18

Judicial branch: Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders: Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IADB IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM ITSO ITU LAES MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH
In the us chancery: 2,220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 319-2,660
In the us fax: [1] (202) 319-2,668
In the us consulates general: Miami, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL
From the us embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence
From the us mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8,197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3,370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20,521-3,370
From the us telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2,206 (after hours)
From the us fax: [1] (242) 328-2,206

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 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 tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and when combined with business services account for about 36% 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 combined 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. Tourism in turn depends on growth in the US the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $8.553 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 2.8% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $28,000 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 7%
Services: 90% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: citrus vegetables; poultry

Industries: tourism banking cement oil transshipment salt rum aragonite pharmaceuticals spiral-welded steel pipe

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 181,900 (2006)
By occupation agriculture: 5%
By occupation industry: 5%
By occupation tourism: 50%
By occupation other services: 40% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2006 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: 27% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.03 billion
Expenditures: $1.03 billion (FY04/05)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.5% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $7.395 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$1.442 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $674 million (2006)
Commodities: mineral products and salt animal products rum chemicals fruit and vegetables
Partners: US 20.4% Singapore 15.5% Spain 14.5% Poland 14.3% Germany 6.6% Guatemala 5.7% Switzerland 5.2% (2007)

Imports: $2.401 billion (2006)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactures chemicals mineral fuels; food and live animals
Partners: US 26.7% South Korea 14.1% Japan 13.5% Italy 7.5% Singapore 5.2% Venezuela 4.5% Spain 4.3% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $342.6 million (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2007) 1 (2006) 1 (2005) 1 (2004) 1 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 2.05 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 1.793 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 132,900 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 374,000 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern facilities
Domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet services
International: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .bs
Hosts: 41 (2008)
Users: 120,000 (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP (2006)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 62 (2007)
With paved runways total: 24
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 38
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 2,717 km
Paved: 1,560 km
Unpaved: 1,133 km (2002)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1,223
By type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 210, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker 88, combination ore/oil 12, container 65, liquefied gas 77, passenger 109, passenger/cargo 35, petroleum tanker 209, refrigerated cargo 119, roll on/roll off 16, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 51
Foreign owned: 1,150 (Angola 6, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 2, Canada 84, China 10, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 25, Denmark 67, Finland 9, France 30, Germany 44, Greece 209, Hong Kong 30, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 1, Italy 4, Japan 87, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 15, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 9, Nigeria 2, Norway 189, Poland 17, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 17, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 14, Sweden 4, Switzerland 1, Thailand 5, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 8, UAE 23, UK 56, US 106, Venezuela 1)
Registered in other countries: 12 (Bolivia 1, Panama 9, Peru 1, Portugal 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Freeport Nassau South Riding Point


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Disputes international: disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian waters

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center