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.
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
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
0.58%
permanent crops
0.29%
other
99.13% (2005)
Irrigated land
10 sq km (2003)
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
Population
305,655
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 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
27% (male 41,268/female 41,186)
15-64 years
66.5% (male 99,961/female 103,230)
65 years and over
6.5% (male 8,176/female 11,834) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
28.1 years
male
27.3 years
female
28.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.602% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
17.3 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
9.13 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.002 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.968 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.691 male(s)/female
total population
0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
24.17 deaths/1,000 live births
male
29.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female
18.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
65.66 years
male
62.37 years
female
69.02 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
3% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
5,600 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Bahamian(s)
adjective
Bahamian
Ethnic groups
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Religions
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)
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.)
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
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 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 called 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 (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]
Spain 23.3%, US 20.7%, Poland 14.1%, Germany 7.2%, UK 6%, Guatemala 5.1% (2006)
Imports
$2.16 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals
Imports - partners
US 20.9%, South Korea 17.9%, Brazil 16.8%, Japan 11.1%, Spain 6.1% (2006)
Debt - external
$342.6 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$5 million (2004)
Currency (code)
Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Currency code
BSD
Exchange rates
Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002)
Fiscal year
1 July - 30 June
Telephones - main lines in use
139,900 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
186,000 (2004)
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 - 2 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)
Radios
215,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
2 (2006)
Televisions
67,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.bs
Internet hosts
591 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
19 (2000)
Internet users
93,000 (2005)
Airports
64 (2006)
Airports - with 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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
35
1,524 to 2,437 m
3
914 to 1,523 m
10
under 914 m
22 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Roadways
total
2,693 km
paved
1,546 km
unpaved
1,147 km (1999)
Merchant marine
total
1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT
by type
barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2, passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175, refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 30
foreign-owned
1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18, China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France 37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1, Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US 121, Venezuela 1)
registered in other countries
4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point
Military branches
Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49: 73,121 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49: 44,309 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49: 2,804 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.5% (2006)
Disputes - international
disagrees with the US on the alignment of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian refugees in Bahamian waters
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center
