The Bahamas

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

constitutional parliamentary democracyIndependence 10 July 1973 (from UK)

The Bahamas as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 104 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
Position24 15 N, 76 00 W
Area13,940 sq km
LocationCaribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida
2000

Every edition of The Bahamas

Populationas each edition published it
294,982 people July 2000 est. · 246,491 in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.01% 2000 est. · 1.62% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 27 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.07 years 2000 est. · 72.02 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.33 children per woman 2000 est. · 1.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
16.99 deaths per 1,000 live births 2000 est. · 21 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$20,000 1998 est. · $10,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3% 1998 est. · 3% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. By the early 1980s, the islands had become a major center for drug trafficking, particularly shipments to the US.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 13,940 sq km

arable land 1%permanent pastures 0%forests and woodland 32%other 67% (1993 est.)permanent crops 0% in all
Area
13,940sq km
land: 10,070 sq kmwater: 3,870 sq kmslightly smaller than Connecticut
Coastline
3,542km
land boundaries: 0 kmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
63m
Mount Alvernia, on Cat Islandlowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

24 15 N, 76 00 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

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

Natural hazards

hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage

Environment - current issues

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

Geography - note

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

People

15 fields
Population
294,982
growth rate: 1.01% (2000 est.)
Note
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 2000 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2000 est.)

Birth
19.54Death
6.81Net migration
-2.67

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2000 est.)71.07
68.25 · 73.94
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)98.2%
98.5% · 98%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

black 85%white 12%Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions

Baptist 32%Anglican 20%Roman Catholic 19%Methodist 6%Church of God 6%other Protestant 12%none or unknown 3%other 2%

Age structure

0-14 years:
30% (male 44,339; female 43,667)
15-64 years:
64% (male 93,072; female 96,457)
65 years and over:
6% (male 7,298; female 10,149) (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

16.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.33 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Bahamian(s)
adjective:
Bahamian

Languages

English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Government

Constitutional parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995); Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since December 1994)

18 fields

Legislature, 40 seats, elected 14 March 1997one dot, one seat

FNM 35PLP 5

Country name

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

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital

Nassau

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, Nicholls Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday

National Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution

10 July 1973

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995)
head of government:
Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since December 1994)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
elections:
  • none;
  • the monarch is hereditary;
  • governor general appointed by the monarch;
  • prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

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 a five-year term) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FNM 35, PLP 5

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court;
  • Court of Appeal;
  • magistrate's courts

Political parties and leaders

Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Arlington Griffith BUTLER
chancery:
2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 319-2660
FAX:
[1] (202) 319-2668
consulate(s) general:
Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Arthur SCHECHTER
embassy:
Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address:
  • local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau;
  • stateside address:
    • American Embassy Nassau,
    • P. O. Box 599009,
    • Miami,
    • FL 33159-9009
    ;
  • pouch address:
    • Nassau,
    • Department of State,
    • Washington,
    • DC 20521-3370
telephone:
[1] (242) 322-1181
FAX:
[1] (242) 356-0222

Flag description

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 with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking.

31 fields
Real growth rate
3%
(1998 est.)industrial production growth: NA%
Unemployment rate
9%
(1998 est.)
Labor force
148,000
(1996)

GDP - composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 3%industry 5%services 92% (1997 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

22.3%
US
27.3%
Italy
26.5%
15.6%
Switzerland
15%
UK
Japan
10%
7.4%
Denmark
4.2%
Exports $362.8 million (1998)Imports $1.74 billion (1998)(1998)

Budget

Revenues
$766 millionExpenditures
$845 million
expenditures including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY97/98)

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%
Electricity production
1.34 billion (1998)Electricity consumption
1.246 billion (1998)

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 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by an estimated 3% in 1998.

Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute less than 10% of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector and continued income growth in the US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.58 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

tourism 40%, other services 50%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture - products

citrus, vegetables; poultry

Exports

$362.8 million (1998)

Exports - commodities

pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish, refined petroleum products

Imports

$1.74 billion (1998)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics

Debt - external

$349 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$9.8 million (1995)

Currency

1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1 - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
2,400
(1993)
Fixed lines
77,000
(1994)

Telephone system

domestic:
totally automatic system; highly developed
international:
  • tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
  • 3 coaxial submarine cables;
  • satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

215,000 (1997)

Televisions

67,000 (1997)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2
over 3,047 m
2
2,438 to 3,047 m
15
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
12
914 to 1,523 m
7
2
under 914 m
21
Paved 33Unpaved 29

Networkskm

Highways
2,693Railways
0
Highways: paved: 1,546 km · unpaved: 1,147 km (1997 est.)

Highways

total:
2,693 km
paved:
1,546 km
unpaved:
1,147 km (1997 est.)

Ports and harbors

Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau

Merchant marine

total:
1,075 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,630,674 GRT/44,111,353 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 201, cargo 233, chemical tanker 41, combination bulk 15, combination ore/oil 25, container 59, liquified gas 35, livestock carrier 1, passenger 68, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 177, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 129, roll-on/roll-off 51, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 23 (1999 est.)

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 49 countries among which are Norway 177, Greece 141, UK 113, US 61, Denmark 39, Finland 27, Japan 25, Sweden 24, France 22, and Italy 22 (1998 est.)

Airports

62 (1999 est.)

Heliports

1 (1999 est.)

Military

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

3 fields

Military branches

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

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

  • transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe;
  • banking industry vulnerable to money laundering [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bahamas, The.” The World Factbook 2000. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bahamas/2000.

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