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Compare Bahamas, The (2004) - Western Sahara (2001)
Compare Bahamas, The (2004) z Western Sahara (2001)
| Bahamas, The (2004) | Western Sahara (2001) | |
 |  | |
| 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: 28.3% (male 42,474; female 42,423)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 96,825; female 99,985) 65 years and over: 6% (male 7,351; female 10,639) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
| Agriculture - products | citrus, vegetables; poultry | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) |
| Airports | 63 (2003 est.) | 11 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
total:
8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| 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 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed and is not expected to occur until at least 2002. |
| Birth rate | 18.22 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
| Budget | revenues: $918.5 million
expenditures: $956.5 million, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY99/00) |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
| Capital | Nassau | none |
| 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) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Death rate | 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
| Debt - external | $308.5 million (2002) | $NA |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) 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 | concerned about migrants fleeing Haiti's deteriorated economic and political conditions | claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991 |
| 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 half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. 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 more than 80% of the visitors. In addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a "third pillar," e-commerce. | Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
| Electricity - consumption | 1.451 billion kWh (2001) | 83.7 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 1.56 billion kWh (2001) | 90 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| 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, 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 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame 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 | NA (2001) | $NA |
| Exports - commodities | fish and crawfish; rum, salt, chemicals; fruit and vegetables | phosphates 62% |
| Exports - partners | US 35%, Spain 9.6%, Germany 7.8%, France 7.6%, Poland 5.3%, Switzerland 4.8%, Peru 4.2%, Paraguay 4.2% (2003) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
| 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 - $5.049 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $NA |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3%
industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,700 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $NA |
| GDP - real growth rate | 0% (2003 est.) | 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 | - |
| Heliports | 1 (2003 est.) | 1 (2000 est.) |
| Highways | total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) |
total:
6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.) |
| 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 | NA (2001) | $NA |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners | US 20.8%, South Korea 17.4%, Italy 11.4%, France 9.1%, Brazil 7.5%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 5.3% (2003) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
| Independence | 10 July 1973 (from UK) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA (2002 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, banking, e-commerce, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
- |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.7% (2002 est.) | NA% |
| International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) | none |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts | - |
| Labor force | 156,000 (1999) | 12,000 |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999 est.) | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 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: 0.8%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 98.8% (2001) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 19% forests and woodland: 0% other: 81% |
| Languages | English (official), 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); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time
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: 65.63 years
male: 62.21 years female: 69.11 years (2004 est.) |
- |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
| Merchant marine | total: 1,035 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,631,252 GRT/43,025,977 DWT
by type: bulk 165, cargo 188, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 17, container 97, liquefied gas 27, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large load carrier 4, passenger 108, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 163, refrigerated cargo 133, roll on/roll off 34, short-sea/passenger 18, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 20 foreign-owned: Algeria 1, Australia 7, Belgium 14, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 1, China 4, Croatia 1, Cuba 3, Cyprus 14, Denmark 49, Estonia 1, Faroe Islands 1, Finland 9, France 21, Germany 13, Gibraltar 1, Greece 163, Hong Kong 9, India 1, Indonesia 3, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 7, Japan 35, Kenya 2, South Korea 1, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malaysia 11, Malta 1, Monaco 68, Netherlands 29, New Zealand 1, Norway 231, Panama 2, Philippines 3, Poland 14, Reunion 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore 13, Slovenia 1, Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2 registered in other countries: 11 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Military branches | Royal Bahamas Defense Force (including Coast Guard) | NA |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | NA% |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) | - |
| Nationality | noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: 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 | -2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 | 299,697
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 2004 est.) |
250,559 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 0.72% (2004 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 56,000 (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 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 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed |
| Telephone system | general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; 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: 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 | 131,700 (2003) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 121,800 (2002) | 0 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (2004) | 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 | 2.23 children born/woman (2004 est.) | - |
| Unemployment rate | 6.9% (2001 est.) | NA% |
| Waterways | - | none |
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