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 has 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.

Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N 76 00 W

Area
Rank: 161
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 3,542 km

Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain: long flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Natural resources: salt aragonite timber arable land

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2003)

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

Population: 316,182 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 178
Growth rate: 0.904% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 123
Below poverty line: 9.3% (2004)

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

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

Religions: Protestant 67.6% (Baptist 35.4% Anglican 15.1% Pentecostal 8.1% Church of God 4.8% Methodist 4.2%) Roman Catholic 13.5% other Christian 15.2% none or unspecified 2.9% other 0.8% (2000 census)

Population growth rate: 0.904% (2012 est.)
Rank: 123

Birth rate: 15.95 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 126

Death rate: 6.91 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 134

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 75

Environment
Current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 127

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 139

Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 133

Physicians density: 1.05 physicians/1000 population (1998)

Hospital bed density: 3.1 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 24
People living with hivaids: 6,600 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 114
Deaths: fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 81

Education expenditures: NA

Government type: constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Administrative divisions: 31 districts; Acklins Islands Berry Islands Bimini Black Point Cat Island Central Abaco Central Andros Central Eleuthera City of Freeport Crooked Island and Long Cay East Grand Bahama Exuma Grand Cay Harbour Island Hope Town Inagua Long Island Mangrove Cay Mayaguana Moore's Island North Abaco North Andros North Eleuthera Ragged Island Rum Cay San Salvador South Abaco South Andros South Eleuthera Spanish Wells West Grand Bahama

Independence: 10 July 1973 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 10 July (1973)

Constitution: 10 July 1973

Legal system: common law system based on the English model

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time

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

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

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

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top) gold and aquamarine with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side; the band colors represent the golden beaches of the islands surrounded by the aquamarine sea; black represents the vigor and force of a united people while the pointing triangle indicates the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop the rich resources of land and sea

National symbols: blue marlin; flamingo

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. Prior to 2006 a steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels resorts and residences led to solid GDP growth but since then tourism receipts have begun to drop off. 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 the financial sector currently is smaller than it has been in the past because of the enactment of new and stricter financial regulations in 2000 that caused many international businesses to relocate elsewhere. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute approximately a 10th of GDP and show little growth despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. The Bahamas since 2008 has been hard hit by the global economic crisis; the economy contracted in 2008 and 2009 and growth remains slow.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 151

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 132

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 42

Agriculture products: citrus vegetables; poultry

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 184,000 (2009)
Rank: 173

Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2008 est.)
Rank: 140

Population below poverty line: 9.3% (2004)

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -3.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 117

Taxes and other revenues: 18.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 172

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 51

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 68

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.06% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 156

Stock of narrow money: $1.435 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 137

Stock of broad money: $6.104 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 120

Stock of domestic credit: $8.511 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 102

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.091 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 117

Exports: $834.9 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 164
Commodities: mineral products and salt animal products rum chemicals fruit and vegetables
Partners: Singapore 28.2% US 26.9% Dominican Republic 11.7% Ecuador 8.6% Switzerland 5.1% (2011)

Imports: $2.966 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 150
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactures chemicals mineral fuels; food and live animals
Partners: US 25.8% India 18.6% South Korea 14.3% Venezuela 9.6% Singapore 7.7% China 4.1% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.07 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 132

Debt external: $14.93 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 81

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 1.945 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 136
Consumption: 1.808 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 141
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 163
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 160
Installed generating capacity: 493,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 136
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 8
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 48
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 160
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 110

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 111
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 82
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 159
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 109

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 125
Products consumption: 36,300 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 113
Products exports: 41,610 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Products exports rank: 65
Products imports: 70,990 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 57

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 102
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 120
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 159
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 160
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 113

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 5.573 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 120

Telephones
Main lines in use: 133,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 140
Mobile cellular: 298,800 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 173

Broadcast media: 2 TV stations operated by government-owned commercially run Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB); multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available; about 15 radio stations operating with BCB operating a multi-channel radio broadcasting network alongside privately-owned radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bs
Hosts: 20,661 (2012)
Hosts rank: 117
Users: 115,800 (2009)
Users rank: 156

Military expenditures: 0.7% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 150

Military service age and obligation: 17 1/2-25 years of age for voluntary male and female service; no conscription (2012)

Airports: 61 (2012)
Rank: 81

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Roadways
Rank: 169

Merchant marine
Rank: 10

Ports and terminals: Freeport Nassau South Riding Point

Disputes international: disagrees with the US on the alignment of the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary

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