Bahamas

Commonwealth of the Bahamas

Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)

Governor-General: Ivy Dumont (2001)

Prime Minister: Perry Christie (2002)

Land area: 3,888 sq mi (10,070 sq km); total area: 5,382 sq mi 13,940 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 303,770 (growth rate: 0.6%); birth rate: 17.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 24.7/1000; life expectancy: 65.6; density per sq mi: 78

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Nassau, 222,200

Monetary unit: Bahamian dollar

Languages: English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Ethnicity/race: black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions: Baptist 35%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 14%, Pentecostal 8%, Church of God 5%, Methodist 4%, other Christian 15% (2000)

Literacy rate: 98.2% (1995 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $5.696 billion; per capita $18,900. Real growth rate: 3%. Inflation: 1.2%. Unemployment: 10.2%. Arable land: 0.58%. Agriculture: citrus, vegetables; poultry. Labor force: 176,300 (2004); agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.). Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe. Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, arable land. Exports: $469.3 million (2004 est.): mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables. Imports: $1.82 billion (2004 est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals. Major trading partners: U.S., Poland, Spain, Germany, France, South Korea, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Venezuela (2004).

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 139,900 (2004); mobile cellular: 186,000 (2004). Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006). Television broadcast stations: 2 (2006). Internet hosts: 359 (2005). Internet users: 93,000 (2005).

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 2,693 km; paved: 1,546 km; unpaved: 1,147 km (1999). Ports and harbors: Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point. Airports: 64 (2005).

International disputes: disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability .

 

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