The Bahamas

commonwealthIndependence 10 July 1973 (from UK)

The Bahamas as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNassau
Area13,940 km2
1990

Every edition of The Bahamas

Populationas each edition published it
246,491 people July 1990 · 415,306 in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.62% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 27 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 72.02 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.9 children per woman 1990 · 1.45 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
21 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 9.2 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $10,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 3% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 13,940 km2

arable land 1%forest and woodland 32%other 67%NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures
Total area
13,940km2
land area: 10,070 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut
Coastline
3,542km
land boundaries: noneTerritorial sea: 3 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

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

Environment

subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood damage

Note

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

People

14 fields
Population
246,491
(July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
17Death
6Net migration
0

Ethnic divisions

black 85%white 15%
Literacy
95%
(1986)

Infant mortality rate

21 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

68 years male, 75 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

1.9 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Bahamian(s); adjective--Bahamian

Religion

Baptist 29%, Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, smaller groups of other Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and Jews

Language

English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants

Labor force

132,600; 30% government, 25% hotels and restaurants, 10% business services, 5% agriculture (1986)

Organized labor

25% of labor force

Government

Commonwealth

18 fields

House of Assembly, 49 seats, elected 19 June 1987one dot, one seat

PLP 31FNM 16independents 2

Long-form name

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Type

commonwealth

Capital

Nassau

Administrative divisions

21 districts; Abaco, Acklins Island, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Biminis, Cat Island, Cay Lobos, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island, Inagua, Long Cay, Long Island, Mayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Spanish Wells

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Constitution

10 July 1973

National holiday

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Acting Governor General Sir Henry TAYLOR (since 26 June 1988);
  • Head of Government--Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar PINDLING (since 16 January 1967)

Political parties and leaders

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. Pindling; Free National Movement (FNM), Cecil Wallace-Whitfield

Suffrage

  • universal at age 18 House of Assembly--last held 19 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992);
  • results--percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats--(49 total) PLP 31, FNM 16, independents 2

Communists

none known

Other political or pressure groups

Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel Carey; Trade Union Congress (TUC), headed by Arlington Miller

Member of

ACP, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Margaret E. MCDONALD;
  • Chancery at Suite 865, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
  • telephone (202) 944-3390;
  • there are Bahamian Consulates General in Miami and New York;
  • US--Ambassador Chic HECHT;
  • Embassy at Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau (mailing address is P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau);
  • telephone (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206

Flag

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

Economy

The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking.

16 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$2.4billion
per capita $9,875; real growth rate 2.0% (1988 est.)
Unemployment
12%
(1986)
External debt
$1.5billion
(September 1988)

Budget

Revenues
$555 millionExpenditures
$702 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $138 million (1989 est.)

Overview

The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides about 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000 people or 40% of the local work force. The economy has boomed in recent years, aided by a steady annual increase in the number of tourists. The per capita GDP of over $9,800 is one of the highest in the region.

Exports

  • $733 million (f.o.b., 1987);
  • commodities--pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish;
  • partners--US 90%, UK 10%

Imports

  • $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1987);
  • commodities--foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels;
  • partners--Iran 30%, Nigeria 20%, US 10%, EC 10%, Gabon 10%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Electricity

368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced, 3,470 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

banking, tourism, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld, steel pipe

Agriculture

  • accounts for less than 5% of GDP;
  • dominated by small-scale producers;
  • principal products--citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry;
  • large net importer of food

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $42 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $344 million

Currency

Bahamian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.00 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Merchant marine, 533 ships by type

passenger 26short-sea passenger 15cargo 121roll-on/roll-off cargo 40refrigerated cargo 42container 16car carrier 6petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 123liquefied gas 6combination ore/oil 19chemical tanker 29specialized tanker 1bulk 86combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry 3533 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,684,123 GRT/19,574,532 DWT

Airports, 59 total, 57 usable

permanent-surface runways
31runways over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
3runways 1,220-2,439 m
25

Highways

2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel

Ports

Freeport, Nassau

Civil air

9 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • highly developed;
  • 99,000 telephones in totally automatic system;
  • tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida;
  • stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV;
  • 3 coaxial submarine cables;1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only), Royal Bahamas Police Force

3 fields

Branches

Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only), Royal Bahamas Police Force

Central Intelligence Agency. “The Bahamas.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bahamas/1990.

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