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Bahamas - General Country Information

Introduction
Geography
Travel Weather
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Travel Weather

Travel Weather: Bahamas

The Bahamas can be visited all year round as well. You get a nice breeze from the ocean and yet have very nice temperatures at the same time. However, the southern islands can get extremely hot between the summer months of June and August.

Introduction

General Information: Bahamas

The capital of Bahamas is Nassau.

Major cities of Bahamas are:
Andros, Arthur`s Town, Bimini, Crooked Island, Eleuthera Island, Freeport, George Town, Governors Harbour, Inagua, Long Island/Deadmans Cay, Mangrove Cay, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, Nassau, North Eleuthera, Paradise Island, Rock Sound, San Salvador, South Andros, Spring Point, Stella Maris, The Bight, Treasure Cay.

Geography

Location:	Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Coordinates:	24 15 N, 76 00 W
Area:	total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km
Area Comparative:	slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land Boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	3,542 km
Maritime Claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:	tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain:	long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation Extremes:	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural Resources:	salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Land Use:	arable land: 0.8% permanent crops: 0.4% other: 98.8% (2001)
Irrigated Land:	NA sq km
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
Note:	strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited

People

Population:	299,697 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 2004 est.)
Age Structure:	total: 27.3 years male: 26.5 years female: 28 years (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate:	0.72% (2004 est.)
Birth Rate:	18.22 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death Rate:	8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Migration Rate:	-2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate:	total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Expectancy Birth:	total population: 65.63 years male: 62.21 years female: 69.11 years (2004 est.)
Fertility Rate:	2.23 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV Adult Prevalence Rate:	3% (2003 est.)
People Living HIV:	5,600 (2003 est.)
HIV Deaths:	less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:	noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian
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%
Languages:	English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

Gouvernment

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, 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 Dame Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) 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; 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-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 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 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
Judicial Branch:	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts
Political Parties Leaders:	Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
International Organization Participation:	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic in US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS 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 from US:	chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) 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

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 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 the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% 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 together 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, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. In addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a ''third pillar,'' e-commerce.
GDP:	purchasing power parity - $5.049 billion (2003 est.)
GDP Growth Rate:	0% (2003 est.)
GDP Capital:	purchasing power parity - $16,700 (2003 est.)
GDP Composition:	agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.)
Household Income:	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation Rate:	1.7% (2002 est.)
Labor Force:	156,000 (1999)
Labor Force Occupation:	agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999 est.)
Unemployment Rate:	6.9% (2001 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $918.5 million expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY99/00)
Agriculture Products:	citrus, vegetables; poultry
Industries:	tourism, banking, e-commerce, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Industry Production Growth Rate:	NA (2002 est.)
Electricity Production:	1.56 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity Consumption:	1.451 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity Exports:	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity Imports:	0 kWh (2001)
Oil Production:	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Consumption:	23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Exports:	NA (2001)
Oil Imports:	NA (2001)
Exports:	$617 million (2002 est.)
Exports Commodities:	fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables
Exports Partners:	US 35%, Spain 9.6%, Germany 7.8%, France 7.6%, Poland 5.3%, Switzerland 4.8%, Peru 4.2%, Paraguay 4.2% (2003)
Imports:	$1.614 billion (2002 est.)
Imports Commodities:	machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Imports Partners:	US 20.8%, South Korea 17.4%, Italy 11.4%, France 9.1%, Brazil 7.5%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 5.3% (2003)
Debt External:	$308.5 million (2002)
Currency:	Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Currency Code:	BSD
Exchange Rates:	Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999)
Fiscal Year:	1 July - 30 June

Communications

Telephones Lines Use:	131,700 (2003)
Mobile Cellular:	121,800 (2002)
Telephone System:	general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Radio Stations:	AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television Stations:	2 (2004)
Internet Code:	.bs
Internet Hosts:	302 (2003)
Internet Users:	84,000 (2003)

Transportation

Highways:	total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:	general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Ports Harbors:	Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau
Merchant Marine:	total: 1,035 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,631,252 GRT/43,025,977 DWT by type: bulk 165, cargo 188, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 17, container 97, liquefied gas 27, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large load carrier 4, passenger 108, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 163, refrigerated cargo 133, roll on/roll off 34, short-sea/passenger 18, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 20 foreign-owned: Algeria 1, Australia 7, Belgium 14, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 1, China 4, Croatia 1, Cuba 3, Cyprus 14, Denmark 49, Estonia 1, Faroe Islands 1, Finland 9, France 21, Germany 13, Gibraltar 1, Greece 163, Hong Kong 9, India 1, Indonesia 3, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 7, Japan 35, Kenya 2, South Korea 1, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malaysia 11, Malta 1, Monaco 68, Netherlands 29, New Zealand 1, Norway 231, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 14, Reunion 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2 registered in other countries: 11 (2004 est.)
Airports:	63 (2003 est.)
Airports Paved Runways:	total: 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports Unpaved Runways:	total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Heliports:	1 (2003 est.)

Military

Military Branches:	Royal Bahamas Defense Force (including Coast Guard)
Military Age Obligation:	18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Transnational Issues

Disputes International:	concerned about migrants fleeing Haiti's deteriorated economic and political conditions
Illicit Drugs:	transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center