Bahamas Resorts Hotels and Villas

Bahamas

OFFICIAL NAME:
Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Geography
Area: 13,939 sq. km. (5,382 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Cities: Capital--Nassau, New Providence. Second-largest city--Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Terrain: Low and flat.
Climate: Semitropical.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bahamian(s).
Population (2005): 323,000.
Annual growth rate (2005): 1.2%.
Ethnic groups: African 85%, European 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%.
Religions: Baptist (32%), Roman Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Protestants, Methodist, Church of God, Rastafarian, Traditional African.
Language: English (official); Creole.
Education (2003): Years compulsory--through age 16. Attendance--92%. Literacy--95.5%.
Health (2005): Infant mortality rate--19.0/1,000. Life expectancy--70.5 years.
Work force (2004): 176,330; majority employed in the tourism, government, and financial services sectors.

Government
Type: Constitutional parliamentary democracy.
Independence: July 10, 1973.
Branches: Executive--British monarch (nominal head of state), governor general (representative of the British monarch), prime minister (head of government), and cabinet. Legislative--bicameral Parliament (41-member elected House of Assembly, 16-member appointed Senate). Judicial--Privy Council in U.K., Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, and magistrates' courts.
Political parties: Free National Movement (FNM), Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Bahamas Democratic Movement (BDM).
Suffrage (2007): Universal over 18; 150,689 registered voters.

Economy
GDP (2005): $5.8 billion.
Growth rate (2005): 2.7%.
Per capita GDP (2005): $18,062.
Natural resources: Salt, aragonite, timber.
Tourism (2004): 40% of GDP.
Government spending (2004): 20% of GDP.
Financial services (2004): 15% of GDP.
Construction (2004; 10% of GDP): Products--largely tourism related.
Manufacturing (2004; 8% of GDP): Products--plastics, pharmaceuticals, rum.
Agriculture and fisheries (2004; 3% of GDP): Products--fruits, vegetables, lobster, fish.
Trade (2005): Exports ($450.8 million)--plastics, fish, salt, rum, chemicals. Markets by main destination--U.S. (66.6%), EU (18.3%), Canada (5.1%), South Africa (1%). Imports ($2.57 billion)--foodstuffs and animals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels. Suppliers by main origin--U.S. (84%), Curacao (7.2%), Puerto Rico (1.9%), EU (1.2%), Japan (1.2%).

PEOPLE
Eighty-five percent of the Bahamian population is of African heritage. About two-thirds of the population resides on New Providence Island (the location of Nassau). Many ancestors arrived in The Bahamas when the islands served as a staging area for the slave trade in the early 1800s. Others accompanied thousands of British loyalists who fled the American colonies during the Revolutionary War.

Haitians form the largest immigrant community in The Bahamas. 30,000-50,000 are estimated to be resident legally or illegally, concentrated on New Providence, Abaco and Eleuthera islands.

School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. The government fully operates 158 of the 210 primary and secondary schools in The Bahamas. The other 52 schools are privately operated. Enrollment for state primary and secondary schools is 50,332, with more than 16,000 students attending private schools. The College of The Bahamas, established in Nassau in 1974, provides programs leading to bachelors and associates degrees. Several non-Bahamian colleges also offer higher education programs in The Bahamas.