for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe
page last updated on January 18, 2011
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@Bahamas, The (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Bahamas, The
Background:
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 has 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.
Geography ::Bahamas, The
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: 13,880 sq km country comparison to the world: 160 land: 10,010 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)
Total renewable water resources:
NA
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
People ::Bahamas, The
Population:
310,426 country comparison to the world: 177 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 25.3% (male 39,493/female 38,355)
15–64 years: 68.7% (male 103,889/female 107,528)
65 years and over: 5.9% (male 6,998/female 11,289) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.9 years
male: 28.8 years
female: 31 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.935% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Birth rate:
16.25 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Death rate:
6.89 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Urbanization:
urban population: 84% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 129 male: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.69
