The Bahamas

The Bahamas is an archipelago of 100,000 square miles that extends over 500 miles of the most pristine water in the world.  It is made up of 700 islands and cays which includes uninhabited cays and large rocks with a total estimated land area of 5,382 square miles.  The highest land elevation is 206 feet located at Mount Alvernia on Cat Island.  The largest Island is Andros with an area of 2,300 square miles.  The Bahamas has a semitropical climate.  Natural resources include salt, aragonite, timber and arable land.

The Bahamas' economy is dominated by tourism and financial services sectors which comprise 75% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  The agricultural and fisheries sectors together represent about 5% of GDP.  The major exports are pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish (spiny lobster) and refined petroleum products.  Agricultural exports consist mainly of citrus fruits (grapefruits, lemons, limes and oranges).  The main markets include the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Canada.

Selected Indicators

Social & Demographic:

Population (2003)

Total (thousands) - 316

Annual growth rate (%/year) - 1.1

Density (per Sq. km.) - 31.7

Life expectancy at birth (years) - 69.8

Crude birth rate (per thousand) - 18.3

Crude dealth rate (per thousand) - 4.7

Infant mortality rate (per thousand live births) - 11.0

Distribution of Labour Force (in %, 2004)

Agriculture & Fishing - 4.4

Industry & Mining - 5.5

Services - 90.1

Education

Adult literacy rate (in %, 2002) - 96

Economic:

GDP (US$ billions, 2004) - 5.7

GDP per capita (US$, 2003) - 17, 396

Unemployment rate (in %, 2004) - 10.2

Sources: Department of Statistics National Accounts Report 2004;  IICA Bahamas Annual report 2004; The World Bank; UND Human Development Report 2005