Commonwealth of the Bahamas Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952) Governor-General: Arthur Dion Hanna
(2006) Prime Minister: Hubert
Ingraham (2007)
Current government officials
Land area: 3,888 sq mi (10,070 sq km);
total area: 5,382 sq mi 13,940 sq km) Population (2008 est.): 307,451 (growth
rate: 0.5%); birth rate: 17.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 23.6/1000;
life expectancy: 65.7; density per sq km: 30
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Nassau, 222,200 Monetary unit: Bahamian dollar
Languages:
English (official), Creole (among Haitian
immigrants)
Ethnicity/race:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic
3%
Religions:
Baptist 35%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 14%,
Pentecostal 8%, Church of God 5%, Methodist 4%, other Christian 15%
(2000)
National Holiday:
Independence Day, July 10 Literacy rate: 98.2% (1995 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.):
$5.696 billion; per capita $18,900. Real growth rate: 3%.
Inflation: 1.2%. Unemployment: 10.2%. Arable
land: 0.58%. Agriculture: citrus, vegetables; poultry.
Labor force: 176,300 (2004); agriculture 5%, industry 5%,
tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.). Industries:
tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite,
pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe. Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable land. Exports: $469.3 million
(2004 est.): mineral products and salt, animal products, rum,
chemicals, fruit and vegetables. Imports: $1.82 billion (2004
est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals,
mineral fuels; food and live animals. Major trading partners:
U.S., Poland, Spain, Germany, France, South Korea, Brazil, Japan,
Italy, Venezuela (2004).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main
lines in use: 139,900 (2004); mobile cellular: 186,000 (2004).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006).
Television broadcast stations: 2 (2006). Internet hosts:
359 (2005). Internet users: 93,000 (2005). Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways:
total: 2,693 km; paved: 1,546 km; unpaved: 1,147 km (1999).
Ports and harbors: Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point.
Airports: 64 (2005). International
disputes: disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime
boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing
economic privation and political instability .
Major sources and definitions
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