Compare Bahamas, The (2005) - Bahrain (2007)

Compare Bahamas, The (2005) z Bahrain (2007)

	Bahamas, The (2005)	Bahrain (2007)

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	5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor
Age structure	0-14 years: 27.9% (male 42,142/female 42,096) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 97,865/female 101,047) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 7,616/female 11,024) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 26.9% (male 96,217/female 94,275) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 284,662/female 207,555) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 13,451/female 12,413) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	citrus, vegetables; poultry	fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Airports	63 (2004 est.)	3 (2007)
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 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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.)	-
Area	total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km	total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut	3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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.	In 1782, the Al Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shi'a community and Shi'a political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shi'a political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.
Birth rate	17.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	17.53 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1 billion expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY03/04)	revenues: $4.894 billion expenditures: $4.516 billion (2006 est.)
Capital	Nassau	name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream	arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Coastline	3,542 km	161 km
Constitution	10 July 1973	adopted 14 February 2002
Country name	conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas	conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun
Death rate	8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$308.5 million (2002)	$7.159 billion (2006 est.)
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	chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 1724-2700 FAX: [973] 1727-0547
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Muhammad al-BALUSHI chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	have not been able to agree on the alignment of a maritime boundary with the US; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability	none
Economic aid - recipient	$9.8 million (1995)	$103.9 million; note - $50 million annually since 1992 from the UAE and Kuwait (2004)
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.	With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems.
Electricity - consumption	1.596 billion kWh (2002)	7.614 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	1.716 billion kWh (2002)	8.187 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Environment - current issues	coral reef decay; solid waste disposal	desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs
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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%	Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
Exchange rates	Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000)	Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003), 0.376 (2002)
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	chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Exports	transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals; fruit and vegetables	petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners	US 40.2%, Poland 13.3%, Spain 11.6%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.3% (2004)	Saudi Arabia 3.2%, US 3%, Japan 2.3% note: excludes oil exports (2006)
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	red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 0.3% industry: 45% services: 54.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $17,700 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2004 est.)	7.1% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates	24 15 N, 76 00 W	26 00 N, 50 33 E
Geography - note	strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited	close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
Heliports	1 (2004 est.)	1 (2007)
Highways	total: 2,693 km paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: 27% (2000)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center	-
Imports	NA	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals	crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners	US 22.4%, South Korea 18.9%, Brazil 9.2%, Japan 7.9%, Italy 7.8%, Venezuela 6.6% (2004)	Saudi Arabia 37.6%, Japan 6.8%, US 6.2%, UK 6.2%, Germany 5.1%, UAE 4.2% (2006)
Independence	10 July 1973 (from UK)	15 August 1971 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	2% (2000 est.)
Industries	tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe	petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 16.18 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1.2% (year ending September 2004)	2.1% (2006 est.)
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)	ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts	High Civil Appeals Court
Labor force	156,000 (1999)	352,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999 est.)	agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.8% permanent crops: 0.4% other: 98.8% (2001)	arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005)
Languages	English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)	Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Legal system	based on English common law	based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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	bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010) election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by party as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 65.54 years male: 62.11 years female: 69.04 years (2005 est.)	total population: 74.68 years male: 72.18 years female: 77.25 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 88.6% female: 83.6% (2001 census)
Location	Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba	Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Middle East
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Merchant marine	total: 1,119 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 183, cargo 259, chemical tanker 54, combination ore/oil 17, container 74, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, passenger 116, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 168, refrigerated cargo 130, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 24 foreign-owned: 968 (Angola 4, Australia 4, Belgium 17, Canada 9, China 3, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 18, Estonia 1, Finland 7, France 28, Germany 15, Greece 194, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 7, Japan 49, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 15, Netherlands 24, New Zealand 1, Nigeria 2, Norway 229, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 12, Serbia & Montenegro 2, Singapore 11, Slovenia 1, South Korea 1, Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 4, Thailand 1, Trinidad & Tobago 2, Turkey 7, UAE 12, United Kingdom 55, United States 154, Uruguay 2) registered in other countries: 35 (2005)	total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 220,264 GRT/314,289 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Kuwait 3) (2007)
Military branches	Royal Bahamaian Defense Force (naval forces) (2004)	Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	4.5% (2006)
National holiday	Independence Day, 10 July (1973)	National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection
Nationality	noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian	noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini
Natural hazards	hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage	periodic droughts; dust storms
Natural resources	salt, aragonite, timber, arable land	oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls
Net migration rate	-2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]	political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97 and have recently engaged in protests with occasional low-level violence; protests related to a host of issues, including the 2002 constitution, elections, unemployment, and release of detainees; Sunni Islamist legislators support a greater role for Shari'a in daily life; several small leftist and other groups are active
Population	301,790 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 2005 est.)	708,573 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA%
Population growth rate	0.67% (2005 est.)	1.392% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	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)	Muslim (Shi'a and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
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 (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.021 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.372 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.084 male(s)/female total population: 1.255 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	20 years of age; universal
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: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use	131,700 (2003)	193,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	121,800 (2002)	898,900 (2006)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2004)	4 (1997)
Terrain	long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills	mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Total fertility rate	2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)	2.57 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	10.2% (2004 est.)	15% (2005 est.)

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