Jersey (2001) | Bahamas, The (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | 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:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667) 15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331) 65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.) |
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 | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | citrus, vegetables; poultry |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 65 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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:
116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | 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 | 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$766 million expenditures: $845 million, including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY97/98) |
Capital | Saint Helier | Nassau |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
Coastline | 70 km | 3,542 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 10 July 1973 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form:
Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound | Bahamian dollar (BSD) |
Death rate | 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | none | $385.8 million (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | 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 (British crown dependency) | 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 | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $9.8 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. | 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 | - | 1.362 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 1.465 billion 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: unnamed location 143 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 | UK and Norman-French descent | black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound | 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: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff 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 | $NA | $376.8 million (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish, refined petroleum products |
Exports - partners | UK | US 22.3%, Switzerland 15.6%, UK 15%, Denmark 7.4% (1998) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow | three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture:
3% industry: 7% services: 90% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 4.5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 24 15 N, 76 00 W |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total:
577 km (1995) paved: NA km 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% |
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 | $NA | $1.73 billion (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics |
Imports - partners | UK | US 27.3%, Italy 26.5%, Japan 10%, Denmark 4.2% (1998) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 10 July 1973 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe |
Infant mortality rate | 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 17.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.7% (1998) | 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) | NA | 19 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts |
Labor force | 57,050 (1996) | 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:
66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34% |
arable land:
1% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 32% other: 67% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
Legal system | English law and local statute | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
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:
78.63 years male: 76.21 years female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
70.46 years male: 67.27 years female: 73.71 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.2% male: 98.5% female: 98% (1995 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
12 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 | none (2000 est.) | 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 | - |
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 | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) |
Nationality | noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
noun:
Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian |
Natural hazards | NA | hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage |
Natural resources | arable land | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
Net migration rate | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 89,361 (July 2001 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% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.48% (2001 est.) | 0.93% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | NA | 215,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | 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:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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 | NA years of age; universal adult | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
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 | 65,500 (1997) | 96,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,400 (1997) | 6,152 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
Total fertility rate | 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.7% (1998 est.) | 9% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |