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Compare Bahamas, The (2008) - Sierra Leone (2001)

Compare Bahamas, The (2008) z Sierra Leone (2001)

 Bahamas, The (2008)Sierra Leone (2001)
 Bahamas, TheSierra Leone
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 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Age structure 0-14 years: 27% (male 41,268/female 41,186)


15-64 years: 66.5% (male 99,961/female 103,230)


65 years and over: 6.5% (male 8,176/female 11,834) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
44.73% (male 1,190,207; female 1,237,326)

15-64 years:
52.12% (male 1,351,455; female 1,477,155)

65 years and over:
3.15% (male 84,364; female 86,111) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, vegetables; poultry rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports 62 (2007) 11 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 24


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 12


914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)
total:
1

over 3,047 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 38


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 22 (2007)
total:
10

914 to 1,523 m:
7

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
Area total: 13,940 sq km


land: 10,070 sq km


water: 3,870 sq km
total:
71,740 sq km

land:
71,620 sq km

water:
120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut slightly smaller than South Carolina
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 Europe, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A peace agreement, signed in July 1999, collapsed in May 2000 after the RUF took over 500 UN peacekeepers hostage. The RUF stepped up attacks on Guinea in December 2000, despite a cease-fire that it signed with the Freetown government one month earlier. As of late 2000, up to 13,000 UN peacekeepers were protecting the capital and key towns in the south. A UK force of 750 was helping to reinforce security and train the Sierra Leone army.
Birth rate 17.3 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 45.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.03 billion


expenditures: $1.03 billion (FY04/05)
revenues:
$96 million

expenditures:
$351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
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 second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Freetown
Climate tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 3,542 km 402 km
Constitution 10 July 1973 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas


conventional short form: The Bahamas
conventional long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form:
Sierra Leone
Currency - leone (SLL)
Death rate 9.13 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 19.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $342.6 million (2004 est.) $1.28 billion (1999)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL


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, 356-3229 (after hours)


FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222
chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr.

embassy:
Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[232] (22) 226481 through 226485

FAX:
[232] (22) 225471
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH


chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660


FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
chief of mission:
Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH

chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX:
[1] (202) 483-1793
Disputes - international disagrees with the US on the alignment of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian refugees in Bahamian waters civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia
Economic aid - recipient $4.78 million (2004) $203.7 million (1995)
Economy - overview The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries 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 tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% 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 combined 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. Tourism, in turn, depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.
Electricity - consumption 1.762 billion kWh (2005) 223.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 1.894 billion kWh (2005) 240 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:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues coral reef decay; solid waste disposal rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Exchange rates Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003) leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996)
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 Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007)


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:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 26-27 February and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA September 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms

election results:
Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John KAREFA-SMART (UNPP) 40.5%
Exports transshipments of 41,290 bbl/day (2004) $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners Spain 22.3%, US 19.8%, Poland 13.5%, Germany 13%, UK 5.7%, Guatemala 4.9% (2006) Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999)
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 three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 7%


services: 90% (2001 est.)
agriculture:
43%

industry:
26%

services:
31% (1999)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.8% (2007 est.) 4.2% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 15 N, 76 00 W 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited -
Heliports 1 (2007) 1 (2000 est.)
Highways - total:
11,300 km

paved:
904 km

unpaved:
10,396 km (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: 27% (2000)
lowest 10%:
0.5%

highest 10%:
43.6% (1989)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center -
Imports 68,250 bbl/day (2004) $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners US 24.7%, Brazil 15.7%, Japan 13.1%, South Korea 7.8%, Spain 6.2% (2006) UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999)
Independence 10 July 1973 (from UK) 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Infant mortality rate total: 24.17 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 29.58 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
146.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.4% (2007 est.) 15% (2000 est.)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 10 sq km (2003) 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Privy Council (London); Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court; magistrates courts Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force 181,900 (2006) 1.369 million (1981 est.)

note:
only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.) agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries 0 km total:
958 km

border countries:
Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use arable land: 0.58%


permanent crops: 0.29%


other: 99.13% (2005)
arable land:
7%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
31%

forests and woodland:
28%

other:
33% (1993 est.)
Languages English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system based on English common law based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 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 2 May 2007 (next to be called by May 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18
unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats - 68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
Life expectancy at birth total population: 65.66 years


male: 62.37 years


female: 69.02 years (2007 est.)
total population:
45.6 years

male:
42.69 years

female:
48.61 years (2001 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 English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

total population:
31.4%

male:
45.4%

female:
18.2% (1995 est.)
Location Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea:
200 NM

continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine total: 1,213 ships (1000 GRT or over) 40,403,455 GRT/54,276,183 DWT


by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 225, cargo 240, chemical tanker 84, combination ore/oil 13, container 72, liquefied gas 49, livestock carrier 2, passenger 117, passenger/cargo 34, petroleum tanker 196, refrigerated cargo 118, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 4, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 39


foreign-owned: 1,134 (Angola 6, Australia 3, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 1, Canada 13, China 9, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 20, Denmark 66, Finland 8, France 43, Germany 40, Greece 214, Hong Kong 3, Iceland 1, Indonesia 3, Ireland 2, Italy 1, Japan 62, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 11, Monaco 11, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 24, Nigeria 2, Norway 232, Philippines 1, Poland 15, Russia 5, Saudi Arabia 15, Singapore 9, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 11, Sweden 5, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 5, UAE 20, UK 68, US 162, Uruguay 1, Venezuela 1)


registered in other countries: 3 (Barbados 1, Panama 2) (2007)
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057 GRT/3,498 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2007) Army
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $46 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2006) 2% (FY96/97)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,161,790 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
563,631 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 10 July (1973) Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Nationality noun: Bahamian(s)


adjective: Bahamian
noun:
Sierra Leonean(s)

adjective:
Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources salt, aragonite, timber, arable land diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate -2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning
Political parties and leaders Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] All People's Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU]; National Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday SANKOH, chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Trade Unions and Student Unions
Population 305,655


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 2007 est.)
5,426,618 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 9.3% (2004) 68% (1989 est.)
Population growth rate 0.602% (2007 est.) 3.61% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006) AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios - 1.12 million (1997)
Railways - total:
84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed

narrow gauge:
84 km 1.067-m gauge
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 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.002 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.968 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.691 male(s)/female


total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
0.96 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern facilities


domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet services


international: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 2 (2007)
general assessment:
marginal telephone and telegraph service

domestic:
national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001)

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 133,100 (2005) 17,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 227,800 (2005) 650 (1999)
Television broadcast stations 2 (2006) 2 (1999)
Terrain long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate 2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.) 6.01 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.6% (2006 est.) NA%
Waterways - 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)
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