The Bahamas

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

constitutional parliamentary democracyIndependence 10 July 1973 (from UK)

The Bahamas as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 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, UTC-5

Position24 15 N, 76 00 W

Area13,940 sq km

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

Populationas each edition published it

307,451 people July 2008 est. · 246,491 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.57% 2008 est. · 1.62% in 1993

Median ageyears

28.4 years 2008 est. · 27 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

65.72 years 2008 est. · 72.02 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.13 children per woman 2008 est. · 1.9 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

23.67 deaths per 1,000 live births 2008 est. · 21 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$28,000 2007 est. · $10,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2.8% 2007 est. · 3% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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.

Geography

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

19 fields

Land useshare of 13,940 sq km

arable land 0.58%permanent crops 0.29%other 99.13% (2005)irrigated 10 sq km (2003)

Area

13,940sq km

land: 10,070 sq kmwater: 3,870 sq kmslightly smaller than Connecticut

Coastline

3,542km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 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, northeast of Cuba

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, arable land

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

hurricanes and other tropical storms 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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 of which 30 are inhabited

People

20 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)

8,472

65 and over6.7%

12,258

101,150

15-6466.9%

104,457

40,608

0-1426.4%

40,506

MaleFemale

Population

307,451

growth rate: 0.57% (2008 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)

Birth

17.06Death

9.22Net migration

-2.14

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2008 est.)65.72

62.5 · 69Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)23.67

28.89 · 18.34

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)95.6%

94.7% · 96.5%Median age years (2008 est.)28.4

27.6 · 29.2

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

black 85%white 12%Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions(2000 census)

Baptist 35.4%Anglican 15.1%Roman Catholic 13.5%Pentecostal 8.1%Church of God 4.8%Methodist 4.2%other Christian 15.2%none or unspecified 2.9%other 0.8% (2000 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

(2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1 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 (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

5,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Bahamian(s)
adjective:: Bahamian

Languages

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Education expenditures

3.6% of GDP (2000)

Government

Constitutional parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

49.86%

FNM 49.86%PLP 47.02%last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)

Legislature, 41 seats, elected 2 May 2007one dot, one seat

FNM 23PLP 18

Percent of vote

FNM 49.86%PLP 47.02%

Country name

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

Government type

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital

name:: Nassau
geographic coordinates:: 25 05 N, 77 21 W
time difference:: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

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

Independence

10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution

10 July 1973

Legal system

based on English common law

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006)
head of government:: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
elections:: 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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms);
the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time

elections:: last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)
election results:: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18

Judicial branch

Privy Council in London;
Courts of Appeal;
Supreme (lower) Court;
Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders

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

Political pressure groups and leaders

Friends of the Environment; other: trade unions

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL
embassy:: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence
mailing address:: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370
telephone:: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)
FAX:: [1] (242) 328-2206

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 one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking.

45 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$8.553billion

(2007 est.)official exchange rate: $6.586 billion (2007 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$28,000

(2007 est.)

Real growth rate

2.8%

(2007 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

2.4%

(2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)

agriculture 3%industry 7%services 90% (2001 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

20.4%

26.7%

15.5%

Singapore

5.2%

14.5%

Spain

4.3%

14.3%

Poland

South Korea

14.1%

Japan

13.5%

Italy

7.5%

6.6%

Germany

5.7%

Guatemala

5.2%

Switzerland

Venezuela

4.5%

Exports $674 million (2006)Imports $2.401 billion (2006)(2007)

Budget

Revenues

$1.03 billionExpenditures

$1.03 billion (FY04/05)

Electricity

Electricity production

2.05 billion (2007 est.)Electricity consumption

1.793 billion (2006 est.)

Economy - overview

The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 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 tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas.

Manufacturing and agriculture combined 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. Tourism, in turn, depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

374,000

(2007)

Internet users

(2008)

Fixed lines

132,900

(2007) · country code .bs

Telephone system

general assessment:: modern facilities
domestic:: totally automatic system;
highly developed;
the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet services
international:: country code - 1-242;
landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 24Unpaved 38

total:: 2,717 km
paved:: 1,560 km
unpaved:: 1,133 km (2002)

Merchant marine

total:: 1,223
by type:: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 210, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker 88, combination ore/oil 12, container 65, liquefied gas 77, passenger 109, passenger/cargo 35, petroleum tanker 209, refrigerated cargo 119, roll on/roll off 16, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 51
foreign-owned:: 1,150 (Angola 6, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 2, Canada 84, China 10, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 25, Denmark 67, Finland 9, France 30, Germany 44, Greece 209, Hong Kong 30, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 1, Italy 4, Japan 87, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 15, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 9, Nigeria 2, Norway 189, Poland 17, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 17, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 14, Sweden 4, Switzerland 1, Thailand 5, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 8, UAE 23, UK 56, US 106, Venezuela 1)
registered in other countries:: 12 (Bolivia 1, Panama 9, Peru 1, Portugal 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point

Military

Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2007)

6 fields

Military expenditures

0.5%of GDP

(2006)

male:: 3,016
female:: 3,024 (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary;
continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian waters

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center

Central Intelligence Agency. “Bahamas, The.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bahamas/2008.

How to cite ← 2007 edition 2009 edition →