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Compare Bahamas, The (2002) - Western Sahara (2006)

Compare Bahamas, The (2002) z Western Sahara (2006)

 Bahamas, The (2002)Western Sahara (2006)
 Bahamas, TheWestern Sahara
Administrative divisions 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 none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure 0-14 years: 29% (male 43,964; female 43,250)


15-64 years: 64.7% (male 95,508; female 98,859)


65 years and over: 6.3% (male 7,948; female 11,000) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, vegetables; poultry fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports 67 (2001) 11 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 30


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 12


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 34 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 3 23 (2002)
total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Area total: 13,940 sq km


land: 10,070 sq km


water: 3,870 sq km
total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut about the size of Colorado
Background Arawak 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 its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate 18.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) NA births/1,000 population
Budget revenues: $918.5 million


expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY99/00)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital Nassau none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline 3,542 km 1,110 km
Constitution 10 July 1973 -
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas


conventional short form: The Bahamas
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
Currency Bahamian dollar (BSD) -
Death rate 7.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external $381.9 million (2000) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador J. Richard BLANKENSHIP


embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau


mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; stateside address: American Embassy Nassau, P. O. Box 599009, Miami, FL 33159-9009; pouch address: Nassau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-3370


telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206


FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222
none
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS


chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668


consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
none
Disputes - international none Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals
Economic aid - recipient $9.8 million (1995) $NA
Economy - 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 labor 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. Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
Electricity - consumption 1.432 billion kWh (2000) 83.7 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 1.54 billion kWh (2000) 85 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues coral reef decay; solid waste disposal sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% Arab, Berber
Exchange rates Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar) Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
none
Exports $535.8 million (2000) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables (1999) phosphates 62%
Exports - partners US 28.2%, France 16.5%, Germany 14.1%, UK 12.4% (2000) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side -
GDP purchasing power parity - $5 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 7%


services: 90% (1999 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $16,800 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2001) NA%
Geographic coordinates 24 15 N, 76 00 W 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 2,693 km


paved: 1,546 km


unpaved: 1,147 km (1997)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center -
Imports $1.88 billion (2000) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals (1999) fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 31.6%, South Korea 18.2%, Italy 17.4%, Japan 5.8% (2000) Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2004)
Independence 10 July 1973 (from UK) -
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate 17.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.5% (2001 est.) NA%
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) none
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 19 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts -
Labor force 156,000 (1999) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation tourism 40%, other services 50%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.) agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use arable land: 0.6%


permanent crops: 0.4%


other: 99% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants) Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system based on English common law -
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.87 years


male: 66.32 years


female: 73.49 years (2002 est.)
total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.2%


male: 98.5%


female: 98% (1995 est.)
NA
Location Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Merchant marine total: 1,076 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 31,309,187 GRT/45,859,485 DWT


ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 246, chemical tanker 41, combination bulk 13, combination ore/oil 22, container 80, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier 8, passenger 88, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 178, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 120, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 16, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 22


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Angola 1, Argentina 1, Australia 4, Belgium 18, Bermuda 1, Canada 5, Chile 1, China 3, Croatia 2, Cuba 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 27, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Finland 9, France 15, Germany 26, Greece 173, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 9, Jamaica 1, Japan 32, Kenya 3, Malaysia 10, Malta 2, Monaco 67, Netherlands 32, New Zealand 2, Norway 237, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, South Korea 2, Spain 7, Sweden 12, Switzerland 8, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, Turkey 2, Ukraine 2, United Arab Emirates 10, United Kingdom 107, United States 159, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
-
Military branches Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $20 million (FY95/96) $992.2 million
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.7% (FY99) -
National holiday Independence Day, 10 July (1973) -
Nationality noun: Bahamian(s)


adjective: Bahamian
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources salt, aragonite, timber, arable land phosphates, iron ore
Net migration rate -2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Political parties and leaders Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] -
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 300,529


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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
273,008 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.86% (2002 est.) NA
Ports and harbors Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau -
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 215,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% Muslim
Sex ratio at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
NA
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system general assessment: modern facilities


domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed


international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use 96,000 (1997) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6,152 (1997) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) NA
Terrain long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate 2.28 children born/woman (2002 est.) NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate 6.9% (2001 est.) NA%
Waterways none -
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