Edition 2003 — The Bahamas

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

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.)

Agriculture - products

citrus, vegetables; poultry

Airports

64 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11
total: 30
under 914 m: 2 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 22 (2002)

Area

land: 10,070 sq km
total: 13,940 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut

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. Geography Bahamas, The

Birth rate

18.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

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

Capital

Nassau

Climate

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Coastline

3,542 km

Constitution

10 July 1973

Country name

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

Currency

Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code

BSD

Death rate

8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$371.6 million (2001)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affairs Robert M. WITAJEWSKI
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370
telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Disputes - international

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

Economic aid - recipient

$9.8 million (1995)

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.

Electricity - consumption

1.451 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

1.56 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Exchange rates

Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999), 1 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
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
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)

Exports

$560.7 million (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables

Exports - partners

US 39.1%, Germany 15.4%, Spain 10.8%, France 7.4%, Poland 4.6%, Switzerland 4.3% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 319-2668; [1] (242) 356-0222
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Bahamas, The

Flag description

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.59 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

0.1% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

24 15 N, 76 00 W

Geography - note

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited People Bahamas, The

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Heliports

1 (2002) Military Bahamas, The

Highways

paved: 1,546 km
total: 2,693 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

3.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

610 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

6,200 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$1.86 billion (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals

Imports - partners

US 20.3%, South Korea 20.1%, Germany 11.5%, Norway 11.5%, Japan 10%, Italy 7.2% (2002)

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female: 19.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 32.45 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 26.21 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.8% (2001 est.)

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)

Internet country code

.bs

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

19 (2000)

Internet users

16,900 (2002) Transportation Bahamas, The

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts

Labor force

156,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation

tourism 50%, other services 40%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1999 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0.6%
other: 99% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 0.4%

Languages

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Legal system

based on English common law

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 five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 69.18 years (2003 est.)
male: 62.3 years
total population: 65.71 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 96.5% (2003 est.) Government Bahamas, The
male: 94.7%
total population: 95.6%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Median age

female: 27.7 years (2002)
male: 26.2 years
total: 27 years

Merchant marine

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.)
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
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
total: 1,090 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,065,778 GRT/46,202,085 DWT

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$20 million (FY95/96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.7% (FY99) Transnational Issues Bahamas, The

National holiday

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Nationality

adjective: Bahamian
noun: Bahamian(s)

Natural hazards

hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage

Natural resources

salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Net migration rate

-2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

297,477
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.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.77% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

215,000 (1997)

Railways