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.

Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba

slightly smaller than Connecticut

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited

16.41 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

7.16 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

2 children born/woman (2010 est.)

fewer than 200 (2007 est.)

black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador, and Rum Cay

10 July 1973 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time

Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; Magistrates' Courts

Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Friends of the Environment

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side; the band colors represent the golden beaches of the islands surrounded by the aquamarine sea; black represents the vigor and force of a united people, while the pointing triangle indicates the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop the rich resources of land and sea

The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Prior to 2006, a steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to solid GDP growth but since then tourism receipts have begun to drop off. The global recession in 2009 took a sizeable toll on the Bahamas, resulting in a contraction in GDP and a widening budget deficit. The outlook for 2010 is for slightly positive growth as tourism from the US returns, but sector investment is not expected to substantially increase. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% of GDP. However, the financial sector currently is smaller than it has been in the past because of the enactment of new and more strict financial regulations in 2000 that caused many international businesses to relocate elsewhere. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector.

$9.126 billion (2009 est.)

$9.496 billion (2008 est.)

$9.66 billion (2007 est.)

$7.335 billion (2009 est.)

5.25% (31 December 2008)

5.25% (31 December 2007)

5.5% (31 December 2008)

5.5% (31 December 2007)

$1.255 billion (31 December 2008)

$1.274 billion (31 December 2007)

$4.637 billion (31 December 2008)

$4.324 billion (31 December 2007)

$7.883 billion (31 December 2008)

$7.395 billion (31 December 2007)

citrus, vegetables; poultry

tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

2.045 billion kWh (2007 est.)

1.902 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

36,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

transshipments of 41,570 bbl/day (2007 est.)

20,560 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

NA cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$283.2 million (2009 est.)

-$1.442 billion (2007 est.)

mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables

US 35.99%, Singapore 18.64%, Poland 12.1%, Germany 6.24% (2009)

$2.401 billion (2006)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals

US 27.23%, South Korea 20.08%, Japan 14.55%, Singapore 5.89%, China 4.75%, Venezuela 4.26%, Italy 4.12% (2009)

$342.6 million (2004 est.)

Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2009), 1 (2008), 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005)

2 television stations operated by government-owned, commercially run Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB); multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available; about 15 radio stations operating with BCB operating a multi-channel radio broadcasting network alongside privately-owned radio stations (2007)

Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point

Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2010)

18 years of age; no conscription (2010)

disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian waters

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center