The Bahamas

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

noun:

Bahamian(s)

adjective:

Bahamian

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form:

The Bahamas

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

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Arthur A. FOULKES (since 14 April 2010)

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; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the monarchy 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

• 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 on 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

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

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Nicole A. AVANT

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

• three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side;
• the band colors represent the golden beaches of the islands surrounded by the aquamarine sea;
• black represents the vigor and force of a united people, while the pointing triangle indicates the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop the rich resources of land and sea

name:

"March On, Bahamaland!"

lyrics/music:

Timothy GIBSON

note: adopted 1973; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)

agriculture:

5%

industry:

5%

tourism:

50%

other services:

40% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

27% (2000)

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)

• 2 television stations operated by government-owned, commercially run Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB);
• multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available;
• about 15 radio stations operating with BCB operating a multi-channel radio broadcasting network alongside privately-owned radio stations (2007)

total:

2,717 km

country comparison to the world: 169

paved:

1,560 km

unpaved:

1,157 km (2002)

males age 16-49:

63,429

females age 16-49:

64,645 (2010 est.)

male:

2,829

female:

2,750 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• the Bahamas is a destination, source, and transit country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• women from South American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Panama may be subjected to forced prostitution;
• some workers from Haiti, Jamaica, China, Peru, and the Philippines could be vulnerable to involuntary servitude

tier rating:

Tier 2 Watch List - despite making significant efforts to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the government did not demonstrate evidence of an overall increase in its anti-trafficking or victim-assistance efforts (2011)