[This material is no longer current. Updated data will be posted.]
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 have 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. (Source: CIA—The World Factbook)
Security Assistance Funding: (Source: 2009 Congressional Budget Justifications for Foreign Operations)
($ in thousands)
| Account | FY 2007 | FY2007 | FY 2008 | FY 2008 | FY2009 |
| Actual | Supp | Estimate | Supp | Request | |
| FMF | 80 | -- | -- | -- | 150 |
| IMET | 239 | -- | 190 | -- | 125 |
| NADR | 42 | -- | 496 | -- | -- |
Direct Commercial Sales: (Source: 2007 Section 655 Report)
In FY 2007, the Department of State authorized the export of defense articles and services valued at $1,496,391.
