The Bahamas

• chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba;
• note - although The Bahamas does not border the Caribbean Sea, geopolitically it is often designated as a Caribbean nation

highest point:

1.3 km NE of Old Bight on Cat Island 64 m

lowest point:

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

noun:

Bahamian(s)

adjective:

Bahamian

total:

30.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

30.6 years

female:

30.7 years

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

0.9 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

9.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

10.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

8.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

75.1 years

female:

78.4 years

improved:

total: 98.9% of population

unimproved:

total: 1.1% of population (2017 est.)

improved:

total: 98.2% of population

unimproved:

total: 1.8% of population (2017 est.)

total:

9.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.66 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

4.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

10.6% (2020 est.)

male:

18.8% (2020 est.)

female:

2.4% (2020 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, 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

urban population:

83.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.02% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

5.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

1.79 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.23 megatons (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form:

The Bahamas

etymology:

name derives from the Spanish "baha mar," meaning "shallow sea," which describes the shallow waters of the Bahama Banks

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

etymology:

named after William III (1650-1702), king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who was a member of the House of Nassau

history:

previous 1964 (preindependence); latest adopted 20 June 1973, effective 10 July 1973

amendments:

• proposed as an "Act" by Parliament;
• passage of amendments to articles such as the organization and composition of the branches of government requires approval by at least two-thirds majority of the membership of both houses of Parliament and majority approval in a referendum;
• passage of amendments to constitutional articles such as fundamental rights and individual freedoms, the powers, authorities, and procedures of the branches of government, or changes to the Bahamas Independence Act 1973 requires approval by at least three-fourths majority of the membership of both houses and majority approval in a referendum;
• amended many times, last in 2016

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of The Bahamas

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

6-9 years

chief of state:

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Cynthia A. PRATT (since 1 September 2023)

head of government:

Prime Minister Philip Edward DAVIS (since 17 September 2021)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by governor-general on recommendation of prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor-general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister;
• following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is appointed prime minister by the governor-general;
• the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

• Coalition of Independents Party or COI
• Democratic National Alliance or DNA
• Free National Movement or FNM
• Progressive Liberal Party or PLP

chief of mission:

Ambassador Wendall Kermith JONES (since 19 April 2022)

chancery:

600 New Hampshire Ave NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20037

telephone:

[1] (202) 319-2660

FAX:

[1] (202) 319-2668

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.bahamasembdc.org/

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Miami, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Kimberly FURNISH (since June 2024)

embassy:

42 Queen Street, Nassau

mailing address:

3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370

telephone:

[1] (242) 322-1181

FAX:

[1] (242) 356-7174

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://bs.usembassy.gov/

• 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 King" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)

• high-income tourism and financial services economy;
• major income inequality;
• strong US bilateral relations;
• several tax relief programs;
• targeted investment in agriculture, energy, light manufacturing, and technology industries

agriculture:

0.4% (2023 est.)

industry:

8.8% (2023 est.)

services:

80.8% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

23.6% (2023 est.)

male:

21.5% (2023 est.)

female:

26.7% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption:

13.847 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

13.847 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

the two local providers ensure good telecoms coverage across the archipelago; fiber-to-home investments have been prioritized with 5G adoption pending (2023)

domestic:

22 per 100 fixed-line, 115 per 100 mobile-cellular (2020)

international:

• country code - 1-242;
• landing points for the ARCOS-1, BICS, Bahamas 2-US, and BDSN fiber-optic submarine cables that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2;
• the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links all of the major islands;
• (2019)

• The Bahamas has 4 major TV providers that provide service to all major islands in the archipelago;
• 1 TV station is operated by government-owned, commercially run Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB) and competes freely with 4 privately owned TV stations;
• multi-channel cable TV subscription service is widely available;
• there are 32 licensed broadcast (radio) service providers, 31 are privately owned FM radio stations operating on New Providence, Grand Bahama Island, Abaco Island, and on smaller islands in the country;
• the BCB operates a multi-channel radio broadcasting network that has national coverage;
• the sector is regulated by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

5 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 35

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,197,116 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

160,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

2,700 km

paved:

1,620 km

unpaved:

1,080 km (2011)

total ports:

6 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

1

small:

1

very small:

4

ports with oil terminals:

4

key ports:

Clifton Pier, Cockburn Town, Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau, South Riding Point

• established in 1980;
• the RBDF's primary responsibilities are disaster relief, maritime security, and counter-narcotics operations;
• it also provides security at a detention center for migrants and performs some domestic security functions, such as guarding embassies;
• the RBDF is a naval force, but includes a lightly-armed marine infantry/commando squadron for base and internal security, as well as a few light non-combat aircraft;
• the maritime element has coastal patrol craft and patrol boats;
• the RBDF maintains training relationships with the UK and the US (2024)