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

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

 Bahamas, The (2006)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: 27.5% (male 41,799/female 41,733)


15-64 years: 66.1% (male 98,847/female 102,074)


65 years and over: 6.4% (male 7,891/female 11,426) (2006 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 64 (2006) 11 (2006)
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 (2006)
total: 3


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


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 22 (2006)
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 Lucayan 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 17.57 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) NA births/1,000 population
Budget revenues: $1.03 billion


expenditures: $1.03 billion; including capital expenditures of $130 million (FY04/05)
revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
Capital name: Nassau


geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W


time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
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
Death rate 9.05 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external $342.6 million (2004 est.) $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; US 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: vacant


chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
none
Disputes - international disagrees with the US on the alignment of the maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability 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 $5 million (2004) $NA
Economy - overview The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 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. The current government has presided over a period of economic recovery and an upturn in large-scale private sector investments in tourism. 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. 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 1.683 billion kWh (2003) 83.7 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 1.81 billion kWh (2003) 85 million kWh (2003)
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 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001) 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 Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006)


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 transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables phosphates 62%
Exports - partners US 31%, Spain 29.7%, Poland 9.3%, Germany 5.6%, Guatemala 4.1% (2005) 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 - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 7%


services: 90% (2001 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate 3.7% (2005 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 the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Heliports 1 (2006) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: 27%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center -
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 22.5%, South Korea 20.2%, Spain 7.8%, Brazil 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Germany 5.4% (2005) 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 transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.29 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.2% ( 2004) 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, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO none
Irrigated land 10 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; magistrates courts -
Labor force 176,300 (2004) 12,000
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 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: 0.58%


permanent crops: 0.29%


other: 99.13% (2005)
arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
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: 65.6 years


male: 62.24 years


female: 69.03 years (2006 est.)
total population: NA years


male: NA years


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


total population: 95.6%


male: 94.7%


female: 96.5% (2003 est.)
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: 1,177 ships (1000 GRT or over) 37,743,270 GRT/50,918,747 DWT


by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 253, cargo 250, chemical tanker 64, container 79, liquefied gas 35, livestock carrier 2, passenger 115, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 175, refrigerated cargo 114, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 30


foreign-owned: 1,093 (Angola 5, Australia 2, Belgium 13, Canada 18, China 3, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 59, Estonia 1, Finland 8, France 37, Germany 22, Greece 232, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 1, India 1, Indonesia 4, Ireland 2, Israel 1, Italy 5, Japan 51, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 17, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 259, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 12, Singapore 12, Slovenia 1, Spain 12, Sweden 6, Switzerland 2, Thailand 1, Turkey 8, UAE 16, UK 69, Uruguay 2, US 121, Venezuela 1)


registered in other countries: 4 (Barbados 1, Liberia 1, Panama 2) (2006)
-
Military branches Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Marines, Air Wing (2006) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $992.2 million
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA -
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 -2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -
Political parties and leaders Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] -
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 303,770


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 2006 est.)
273,008 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 9.3% (2004) NA%
Population growth rate 0.64% (2006 est.) NA
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006) AM 2, FM 0, 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
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 (2006 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: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 2 (2005)
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 139,900 (2004) about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 186,000 (2004) 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2006) 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 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate 10.2% (2005 est.) NA%
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