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NAVIGATION
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 15 N, 76 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 13,940 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km land: 10,070 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Connecticut |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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3,542 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
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Terrain:
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long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m |
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Natural resources:
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salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0.6%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 99% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage |
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Environment - current issues:
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coral reef decay; solid waste disposal |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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300,529
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 29% (male 43,964; female 43,250)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 95,508; female 98,859) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 7,948; female 11,000) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.86% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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17.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.87 years
female: 73.49 years (2002 est.) male: 66.32 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.28 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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4.13% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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6,900 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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500 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
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Religions:
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Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% |
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Languages:
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English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.2% male: 98.5% female: 98% (1995 est.) |