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Bahamas
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.
Location :
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Geographic Coordinates Center :
24 15 N, 76 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -79.00 |
| North | 26.92 |
| East | -74.42 |
| South | 22.85 |
Map references :
America
Area :
| total | 13 880 | square km |
| land | 10 010 | square km |
| water | 3 870 | square km |
Coastline :
3542.00 km
Climate :
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain :
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 63 | metres |
Natural resources :
| arable land | aragonite |
| salt | timber |
Land use :
| arable land | 0.58 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.29 | % |
| other | 99.13 | % |
Irrigated land :
10 square km
Natural hazards :
| hurricanes | tropical storms |
current issues :
coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Ship Pollution | Wetlands |
Population :
307 552
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.93 | % |
| Birth rate | 16.41 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.00 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 7.16 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 25.30 | % |
| 15-64 years | 68.70 | % |
| 65 years and over | 5.90 | % |
Median age :
| total | 28.70 | years |
| male | 27.90 | years |
| female | 29.50 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.97 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.69 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.96 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 14.84 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 69.92 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 67.48 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 72.43 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 3.00 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 6 200 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 200 |
Religions :
| Baptist | 35.40 | % |
| Anglican | 15.10 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 13.50 | % |
| Pentecostal | 8.10 | % |
| Church of God | 4.80 | % |
| Methodist | 4.20 | % |
| other Christian | 15.20 | % |
| none | 2.90 | % |
| other | 0.80 | % |
Languages :
| English | |
| Creole |
Literacy :
| total population | 95.60 | % |
| male | 94.70 | % |
| female | 96.50 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Commonwealth of The Bahamas |
| conventional short form | The Bahamas |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | BS |
| ISO Numeric | 44 |
| ISO3 | BHS |
| FIPS | BF |
| ccTLD | bs |
| English | 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
Capital :
| name | Nassau |
| geographic coordinates | 25 05 N, 77 21 W |
| time difference | -5.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AOSIS |
| C | CDB |
| Caricom | FAO |
| G-77 | IADB |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt (signatory) | ICFTU |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | ITSO |
| ITU | Interpol |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OAS | OPANAL |
| OPCW | PetroCaribe |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO (observer) |
Independence :
1973-07-10
National holiday :
Independence Day
1973-07-10
Executive branch :
| Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM | Queen ELIZABETH II |
Legislative branch :
| FNM | 49.86 | % |
| PLP | 47.02 | % |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 9 086 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 7 403 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -4.00 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 29 800 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 3.00 | % |
| industry | 7.00 | % |
| services | 90.00 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 5.00 | % |
| industry | 5.00 | % |
| services | 40.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 7.60 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 9.30 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.40 | % |
| Current account balance | - 1 442 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 342 600 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.50 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| highest 10% | 27.00 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 030 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 030 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| citrus | poultry |
| vegetables |
Industries :
| aragonite | banking |
| cement | oil transshipment |
| pharmaceuticals | rum |
| salt | spiral welded steel pipe |
| tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 2 045 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 1 902 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 34 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 41 570 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 72 420 | bbl/day |
Value :
674 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 21.40 | % |
| Singapore (sg) | 18.70 | % |
| Poland (pl) | 18.00 | % |
| Germany (de) | 7.60 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 7.40 | % |
Commodities :
| animal products | chemicals |
| fruit and vegetables | mineral products and salt |
| rum |
Value :
2 401 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 25.70 | % |
| South Korea | 19.30 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 16.80 | % |
| Singapore (sg) | 7.50 | % |
| Venezuela (ve) | 5.10 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | food and live animals |
| machinery and transportation equipment | manufactures |
| mineral fuels |
Currency-code :
BSD
Currency-name :
Bahamian dollar
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 133 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 358 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 5 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | bs | |
| Internet Hosts | 8 325 | |
| Internet Users | 106 500 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 23 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Roadways - total | 2 717 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 1 560 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 1 157 | km |
Flag
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