Background: Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973 The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. By the early 1980s the islands had become a major center for drug trafficking particularly shipments to the US.

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
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 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

Land use
Arable land: 1%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 0%
Forests and woodland: 32%
Other: 67% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Geography
Note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

Population: 283,705 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.36% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Bahamian(s)
Adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups: black 85%, white 15%

Languages: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 27% (male 39,271; female 38,740)
15-64 years: 67% (male 92,830; female 96,814)
65 years and over: 6% (male 6,696; female 9,354) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.36% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 20.58 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.55 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.38 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.25 years
Male: 70.94 years
Female: 77.64 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.31 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.2%
Male: 98.5%
Female: 98% (1995 est.)

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

Government 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 UK)

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), represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995)
Head of government: Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since December 1994)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for a five-year term) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_FNM 35, PLP 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation: 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, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Arlington Griffith BUTLER
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 and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Arthur SCHECHTER
From the us embassy: Queen Street, Nassau
From the us mailing address: local or express mail address:P.O. Box N-8,197, Nassau; stateside address:American Embassy Nassau, P.O. Box 599,009, Miami, FL 33,159-9,009; pouch address:Nassau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-3,370
From the us telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181
From the us FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222

Flag description: 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 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by an estimated 4% in 1998. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute less than 10% of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector and continued income growth in the US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $20,100 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 5%
Services: 92% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: citrus, vegetables; poultry

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 148,000 (1996)
By occupation government: 30%
By occupation tourism: 40%
By occupation businessservices: 10%
By occupation agriculture: 5% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $766 million
Expenditures: $845 million, including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY97/98)

Fiscal year: 1 July_30 June

Exports: $300 million (1998)
Commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish, refined petroleum products
Partners: US 24.5%, EU (excluding UK) 23.9%, UK 12.6%, Singapore 5.6% (1997)

Imports: $1.37 billion (1998)
Commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics
Partners: US 34.9%, EU 24.3%, Japan 15.5%, Russia 6.3% (1997)

Debt external: $381.7 million (1997)

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1: 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)

Electricity
Production: 1 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 1 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Telephones: 200,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system
Domestic: 91,183 telephone subscribers; totally automatic system; highly developed
International: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 62 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 33
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 15
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 29
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Merchant marine
Total: 1,079 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,631,924 GRT/41,196,326 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 209, cargo 241, chemical tanker 43, combination bulk 13, combination ore/oil 22, container 61, liquefied gas tanker 34, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 170, passenger 62, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 140, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 19
Note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 49 countries among which are Norway 177, Greece 141, UK 113, US 61, Denmark 39, Finland 27, Japan 25, Sweden 24, France 22, and Italy 22 (1998 est.)

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money laundering