WTO
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 boomed in recent years, aided by a steady annual increase in the number of tourists. The per capita GDP of over $9,800 is one of the highest in the region.
GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $9,875; real growth rate 2.0% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1988)
Unemployment: 12% (1986)
Budget: revenues $555 million; expenditures $702 million, including capital expenditures of $138 million (1989 est.)
Exports: $733 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish; partners—US 90%, UK 10%
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels; partners—Iran 30%, Nigeria 20%, US 10%, EC 10%, Gabon 10%
External debt: $1.5 billion (September 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced, 3,470 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: banking, tourism, 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
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–80), $42 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–87), $344 million
Currency: Bahamian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar
(B$) = 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: 533 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,684,123 GRT/19,574,532 DWT; includes 26 passenger, 15 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo, 40 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 42 refrigerated cargo, 16 container, 6 car carrier, 123 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 19 combination ore/oil, 29 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 86 bulk, 3 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
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
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Country: Bahrain
- Geography
Total area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish
Land use: 2% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 90% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted (requires development of desalination facilities); dust storms; desertification
Note: proximity to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources and strategic location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
- People
Population: 520,186 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Bahraini(s); adjective—Bahraini
Ethnic divisions: 63% Bahraini, 13% Asian, 10% other Arab, 8% Iranian, 6% other
Religion: Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni)
Language: Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu
Literacy: 40%
Labor force: 140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; 85% industry and commerce, 5% agriculture, 5% services, 3% government (1982)
Organized labor: General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in only eight major designated companies
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