Airports [time series]

59 total, 57 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

9 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel

Merchant marine [time series]

636 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,266,066 GRT/23,585,465 DWT; includes 42 passenger, 16 short-sea passenger, 190 cargo, 41 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 23 container, 5 car carrier, 1 railroad carrier, 141 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 liquefied gas, 15 combination ore/oil, 33 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 112 bulk, 8 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry

Ports [time series]

Freeport, Nassau

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

highly developed; 99,000 telephones in totally automatic system; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only), Royal Bahamas Police Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 68,020; NA fit for military service

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for less than 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal products--citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of food

Budget [time series]

revenues $1.03 billion; expenditures $1.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $275 million (1990)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Bahamian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-88), $1.0 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $345 million

Electricity [time series]

368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced, 3,480 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.00 (fixed rate)

Exports [time series]

$300 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish; partners--US 41%, Norway 30%, Denmark 4%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$1.2 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$2.4 billion, per capita $9,800; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

transshipment point for cocaine

Imports [time series]

$1.23 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels; partners--US 35%, Nigeria 21%, Japan 13%, Angola 11%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate NA%; accounts for 15% of GDP

Industries [time series]

tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld, steel pipe

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7.1% (1990 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income developing nation whose economy is based primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides about 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000 people or 40% of the local work force. The economy has slackened in recent years, as the annual increase in the number of tourists slowed. Nonetheless, the per capita GDP of $9,800 is one of the highest in the region.

Unemployment rate (Unemployment) [time series]

11.7% (1989)

Climate [time series]

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Coastline [time series]

3,542 km Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 3 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Connecticut

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood damage

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 32%; other 67%

Natural resources [time series]

salt, aragonite, timber

Note [time series]

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

Terrain [time series]

long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Area (Total area) [time series]

13,940 km2; land area: 10,070 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

21 districts; Abaco, Acklins Island, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Biminis, Cat Island, Cay Lobos, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island, Inagua, Long Cay, Long Island, Mayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Spanish Wells

Capital [time series]

Nassau

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

none known

Constitution [time series]

10 July 1973

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Margaret E. McDONALD; Chancery at Suite 865, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 944-3390; there are Bahamian Consulates General in Miami and New York; US--Ambassador Chic HECHT; Embassy at Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau (mailing address is P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau); telephone (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206

Executive branch [time series]

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Independence [time series]

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Acting Governor General Sir Henry TAYLOR (since 26 June 1988); Head of Government--Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar PINDLING (since 16 January 1967) Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, C, CCC, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel CAREY; Trade Union Congress (TUC), headed by Arlington MILLER

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 House of Assembly--last held 19 June 1987 (next to be held by June 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(49 total) PLP 32, FNM 17

Government type (Type) [time series]

commonwealth

Birth rate [time series]

19 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

black 85%, white 15%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

132,600; government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%, agriculture 5% (1986)

Languages (Language) [time series]

English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

69 years male, 76 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

90% (male 90%, female 89%) age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Bahamian(s); adjective--Bahamian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

25% of labor force

Population [time series]

252,110 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% (1980)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.2 children born/woman (1991)

Bahamas, The