| Introduction :: Bahamas, The |
Background:
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| 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. |
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| Geography :: Bahamas, The |
Location:
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| Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 15 N, 76 00 W
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 13,880 sq km
country comparison to the world: 167
land:
10,010 sq km
water:
3,870 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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3,542 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
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Terrain:
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long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
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Natural resources:
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salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.58%
permanent crops:
0.29%
other:
99.13% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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10 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage
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Environment - current issues:
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coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited |
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Population:
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| 309,156
country comparison to the world: 177
note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 25.9% (male 40,085/female 39,959)
15-64 years:
67.2% (male 102,154/female 105,482)
65 years and over:
6.9% (male 8,772/female 12,704) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 28.7 years
male:
27.9 years
female:
29.5 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.536% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
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Birth rate:
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16.81 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
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Death rate:
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9.32 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
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Net migration rate:
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-2.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 84% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.69 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 93
male:
28.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
18.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 65.78 years
country comparison to the world: 164
male:
62.63 years
female:
68.98 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.1 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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6,200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
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Nationality:
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noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective:
Bahamian
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Ethnic groups:
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black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
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Religions:
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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)
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Languages:
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English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
95.6%
male:
94.7%
female:
96.5% (2003 est.)
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Education expenditures:
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3.6% of GDP (2000)
country comparison to the world: 125
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