THE BAHAMAS GEOGRAPHY Total area: 13,940 km2; land area: 10,070 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Connecticut Land boundaries: none Coastline: 3,542 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 3 nm Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 32%; other 67% Environment: subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood damage Note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain PEOPLE Population: 252,110 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991) Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female(1991) Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Bahamian(s); adjective--Bahamian Ethnic divisions: black 85%, white 15% Religion: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% (1980) Language: English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants Literacy: 90% (male 90%, female 89%) age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963 est.) Labor force: 132,600; government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%, agriculture 5% (1986) Organized labor: 25% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas Type: commonwealth Capital: Nassau Administrative divisions: 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 Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK) Constitution: 10 July 1973 Legal system: based on English common law National holiday: Independence Day, 10 July (1973) Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: 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) Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: 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 Communists: none known Other political or pressure groups: Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist Party (VNSP), a small leftist party headed by Lionel CAREY; Trade Union Congress (TUC), headed by Arlington MILLER Member of: 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 Diplomatic representation: 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 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side ECONOMY Overview: 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. GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $9,800; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.1% (1990 est.) Unemployment: 11.7% (1989) Budget: revenues $1.03 billion; expenditures $1.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $275 million (1990) Exports: $300 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish; partners--US 41%, Norway 30%, Denmark 4% Imports: $1.23 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels; partners--US 35%, Nigeria 21%, Japan 13%, Angola 11% External debt: $1.2 billion (December 1990) Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 15% of GDP Electricity: 368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced, 3,480 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld, steel pipe Agriculture: accounts for less than 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal products--citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of food Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-88), $1.0 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $345 million Currency: Bahamian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.00 (fixed rate) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel Ports: Freeport, Nassau Merchant marine: 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 Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft Airports: 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 Telecommunications: 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 DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only), Royal Bahamas Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 68,020; NA fit for military service Defense expenditures: $65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)