General background: 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 its territory is used for smuggling illegal
migrants into the US.
Area comparative:
Slightly smaller than Connecticut
Climate:
Tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain: Long, flat coral formations with
some low rounded hills
Population: 300,529
Ethnic groups: Black 85%, white 12%, Asian
and Hispanic 3%
Religions: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman
Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other
Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
Language: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Government type: Constitutional parliamentary
democracy
Capital: Nassau
Legal system: Based on English common law
Economic overview: The Bahamas is a stable,
developing nation with an economy heavily dependent
on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts
for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly
employs almost half of the archipelago's labour force.
Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction
of new hotels, resorts, and residences have led to
solid GDP growth in recent years. Manufacturing and
agriculture together 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, which depends on growth in
the US, the source of the majority of tourist visitors.
Communication/Telephone system: Modern facilities,
totally automatic system; highly developed, tropospheric
scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial
submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
Places of interest: There are lots of places
among the country's 700 islands and 2500 cays to disappear
into a mangrove forest, explore a coral reef and escape
the high-rise hotels and package-tour hype.
Travel Tips: Remember to take enough suntan
lotion with!
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