Background: Arawak 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 its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.

Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N 76 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 3,542 km

Maritime claims
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 arable land

Land use
Arable land: 0.6%
Permanent crops: 0.4%
Other: 99% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0.77% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Bahamian
Adjective: Bahamian

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

Languages: English (official) 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: 28.8% (male 42,799; female 42,730)
15-64 years: 65.4% (male 95,718; female 98,875)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 7,092; female 10,263) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 27 years
Male: 26.2 years
Female: 27.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.77% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 18.57 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 8.68 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.21 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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, 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/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 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 26.21 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 19.83 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 32.45 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.71 years
Male: 62.3 years
Female: 69.18 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.5% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 6,200 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 610 (2001 est.)

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

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

Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy

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 Nichollstown and Berry Islands Ragged Island Rock Sound Sandy Point San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence 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 Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)
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; 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 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts

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

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
In the us consulates general: Miami and New York
In the us fax: [1] (202) 319-2,668
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 319-2,660
In the us chancery: 2,220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Robert M. WITAJEWSKI
From the us embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau
From the us mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8,197, Nassau; 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) 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 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 the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2002. Manufacturing and agriculture together 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 which depends on growth in the US the source of most of the visitors.

Real gdp growth rate: 0.1% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 7%
Services: 90% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: citrus vegetables; poultry

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 156,000 (1999)
By occupation tourism: 50%
By occupation other services: 40%
By occupation industry: 5%
By occupation agriculture: 5% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 6.9% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $918.5 million
Expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY 99/00)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.8% (2001 est.)

Exports: $560.7 million (2002 est.)
Commodities: fish and crawfish; rum salt chemicals; fruit and vegetables
Partners: US 39.1% Germany 15.4% Spain 10.8% France 7.4% Poland 4.6% Switzerland 4.3% (2002)

Imports: $1.86 billion (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactures chemicals mineral fuels; food and live animals
Partners: US 20.3% South Korea 20.1% Germany 11.5% Norway 11.5% Japan 10% Italy 7.2% (2002)

Debt external: $371.6 million (2001)

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2002) 1 (2001) 1 (2000) 1 (1999) 1 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 1.56 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 1.451 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 96,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 6,152 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern facilities
Domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed
International: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)

Internet
Country code: .bs
Service providers isps: 19 (2000)
Users: 16,900 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)
Percent of gdp: 0.7% (FY99)

Airports: 64 (2002)
With paved runways total: 30
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With unpaved runways total: 34
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 1,090 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,065,778 GRT/46,202,085 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 150, cargo 223, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 18, container 108, liquefied gas 26, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 8, passenger 102, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 178, refrigerated cargo 135, roll on/roll off 40, short-sea passenger 17, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 23
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Angola 1, Argentina 1, Australia 4, Belgium 18, Bermuda 1, Canada 5, Chile 1, China 3, Croatia 2, Cuba 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 27, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Finland 9, France 15, Germany 26, Greece 173, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 9, Jamaica 1, Japan 32, Kenya 3, Malaysia 10, Malta 2, Monaco 67, Netherlands 32, New Zealand 2, Norway 237, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, South Korea 2, Spain 7, Sweden 12, Switzerland 8, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, Turkey 2, Ukraine 2, United Arab Emirates 10, United Kingdom 107, United States 159, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary with the US

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