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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Bahamas, The (2001)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Bahamas, The (2001)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)Bahamas, The (2001)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryBahamas, The
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, Nicholls Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Age structure - 0-14 years:
29.43% (male 44,179; female 43,486)

15-64 years:
64.46% (male 94,329; female 97,674)

65 years and over:
6.11% (male 7,618; female 10,566) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products - citrus, vegetables; poultry
Airports 1 (2001) 65 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total:
36

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
16

914 to 1,523 m:
13

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total:
29

914 to 1,523 m:
6

under 914 m:
23 (2000 est.)
Area total: 60 sq km


land: 60 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
total:
13,940 sq km

land:
10,070 sq km

water:
3,870 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. 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.
Birth rate - 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget - revenues:
$766 million

expenditures:
$845 million, including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY97/98)
Capital - Nassau
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Coastline 698 km 3,542 km
Constitution - 10 July 1973
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form:
Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form:
The Bahamas
Currency - Bahamian dollar (BSD)
Death rate - 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external - $385.8 million (2000 est.)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate J. Richard BLANKENSHIP

embassy:
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
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) 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
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain none
Economic aid - recipient - $9.8 million (1995)
Economy - overview All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. 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 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by an estimated 3% in 1998, 6% in 1999, and 4.5% in 2000. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute only 10% of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector and continued sturdy growth in the US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 1.362 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 1.465 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Environment - current issues NA coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
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
Ethnic groups - black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Exchange rates - Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995)

head of government:
Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since December 1994)

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; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Exports - $376.8 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities - pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish, refined petroleum products
Exports - partners - US 22.3%, Switzerland 15.6%, UK 15%, Denmark 7.4% (1998)
Fiscal year - 1 July - 30 June
Flag description white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side
GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture:
3%

industry:
7%

services:
90% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 4.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E 24 15 N, 76 00 W
Geography - note archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
Heliports - 1 (2000 est.)
Highways total: NA km


paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia


unpaved: NA km
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%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money laundering
Imports - $1.73 billion (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities - foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics
Imports - partners - US 27.3%, Italy 26.5%, Japan 10%, Denmark 4.2% (1998)
Independence - 10 July 1973 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate - NA%
Industries - tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
Infant mortality rate - 17.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 1.9% (2000 est.)
International organization participation - ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 19 (2000)
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch - Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts
Labor force - 156,000 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation - tourism 40%, other services 50%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: NEGL


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
0%

forests and woodland:
32%

other:
67% (1993 est.)
Languages - English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply 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 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FNM 35, PLP 5
Life expectancy at birth - total population:
70.46 years

male:
67.27 years

female:
73.71 years (2001 est.)
Literacy - definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98.2%

male:
98.5%

female:
98% (1995 est.)
Location Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida
Map references Political Map of the World Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine - total:
1,049 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 30,000,221 GRT/44,601,471 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 185, cargo 214, chemical tanker 36, combination bulk 15, combination ore/oil 22, container 66, liquefied gas 33, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 79, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 182, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 118, roll on/roll off 50, short-sea passenger 15, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 24

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Algeria 2, Australia 1, Austria 1, Bermuda 6, Belgium 14, Canada 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 17, Finland 7, France 9, Germany 9, Greece 89, Hong Kong 7, Indonesia 2, India 1, Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 23, Jamaica 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 2, Luxembourg 2, Monaco 15, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 16, Norway 139, Poland 3, Portugal 2, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 12, Spain 7, Sweden 14, Syria 1, Switzerland 7, UAE 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, UK 67, Ukraine 3, US 50, British Virgin Islands 1, British Virgin Islands 1 (2000 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military branches - Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $20 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA%
National holiday - Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Nationality - noun:
Bahamian(s)

adjective:
Bahamian
Natural hazards NA hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Net migration rate - -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders - Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
297,852

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 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line - NA%
Population growth rate - 0.93% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Diego Garcia Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios NA 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%
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 (2001 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 96,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 6,152 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 1 (1997)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Total fertility rate - 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate - 9% (1998 est.)
Waterways none none
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