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
