The Bahamas
commonwealthIndependence 10 July 1973 (from UK)
The Bahamas as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Caribbean, in the western North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida | and northwest of Cuba
24 fieldstotal area
13,940 sq km
land area
10,070 sq km
comparative area
slightly larger than Connecticut
continental shelf
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
territorial sea
3 nm
arable land
1%
permanent crops
0%
meadows and pastures
0%
forest and woodland
32%
other
67%
current issues
NA
natural hazards
subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage
international agreements
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
People
21 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
total population
71.52 years
male
67.66 years
female
75.49 years (1994 est.)
noun
Bahamian(s)
adjective
Bahamian
total population
90%
male
90%
female
89%
by occupation
government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%, agriculture 5% (1989)
Government
Commonwealth
31 fieldsLegislature, 49 seatsone dot, one seat
conventional long form
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form
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
chief of state
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford DARLING (since 2 January 1992)
head of government
Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Orville A. TURNQUEST (since 19 August 1992)
cabinet
Cabinet; appointed by the governor on the prime minister's recommendation
House of Assembly
- elections last held 19 August 1992 (next to be held by August 1997);
- results - percent of vote by party NA;
- seats - (49 total) FNM 32, PLP 17
Political parties and leaders
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM;
Member of
ACP, C, CCC, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
chief of mission
Ambassador Timothy Baswell DONALDSON
chancery
2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general
Miami and New York
chief of mission
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lino GUTIERREZ
embassy
Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address
P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau
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, developing nation whose economy is based | primarily on tourism and offshore banking.
26 fieldsOverview
The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides about 40% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000 people or 40% of the local work force. The economy has slackened in recent years, as the annual increase in the number of tourists slowed. Nonetheless, per capita GDP is one of the highest in the region.
revenues
$628.5 million
expenditures
$574 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1992 est.)
commodities
pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish
partners
US 51%, UK 7%, Norway 7%, France 6%, Italy 5%
commodities
foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels, crude oil
partners
US 32%, Japan 17%, Nigeria 12%, Denmark 7%, Norway 6%
capacity
424,000 kW
production
929 million kWh
consumption per capita
3,599 kWh (1992)
Industries
tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral welded steel pipe
Agriculture
- accounts for 5% of GDP;
- dominated by small-scale producers;
- principal products - citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry;
- large net importer of food
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; also money-laundering center
recipient
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $1 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $345 million
Communications
13 fieldstotal
2,400 km
paved
1,350 km
unpaved
gravel 1,050 km
Merchant marine
879 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,424,439 GRT/33,330,160 DWT, bulk 167, cargo 148, chemical tanker 43, combination bulk 8, combination ore/oil 20, container 48, liquefied gas 18, oil tanker 177, passenger 54, refrigerated cargo 132, roll-on/roll-off cargo 41, short-sea passenger 16, vehicle carrier 7
note
a flag of convenience registry
total
60
usable
55
with permanent-surface runways
31
with runways over 3,659 m
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m
3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
26
Telecommunications
- highly developed;
- 99,000 telephones in totally automatic system;
- tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida;
- broadcast stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV;
- 3 coaxial submarine cables;
- 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Defense Forces
Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police | Force
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “The Bahamas.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bahamas/1994.