Caribbean
Country Profiles
Bahamas
The economy is
based on tourism, off-shore banking and oil refining. Large
numbers of Haitians, Cubans and other foreign nationals continue to arrive
in the country illegally, taking advantage of the Bahamas’ relatively
high standard of living.
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas consists of some 700 islands and coral keys
with a total area of 13,940 square kilometres. Most of the islands are low
and flat and the land is swampy, making it almost useless for agriculture.
The climate is tropical. The islands are vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical
storms that often cause flooding.
The country is a constitutional parliamentary democracy divided into 21 districts.
The capital of the Bahamas is Nassau. As a member of the British Commonwealth,
the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. The head of government is Prime Minister
Perry Christie. The next elections will be held before May 2007.
|
People
|
|
|
Human Development Index Ranking (out of 173)
|
41
|
|
Population (millions)
|
0.3
|
|
Population growth rate (%)
|
1.1
|
|
Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above)
|
95.4
|
|
Health
|
|
|
Life expectancy
|
69.2
|
|
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
|
15
|
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People living with HIV/AIDS (% adults 15-49)
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3.5
|
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Population using improved water sources (%)
|
96
|
|
Population using adequate sanitation facilities
(%)
|
93
|
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Economy
|
|
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GDP (US$ billions)
|
4.8
|
|
Population living below national poverty line (%)
|
---
|
Source: United Nation Human Development Reports,
Human Development Indicators 2002
--- indicates information not available
|
