delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to
insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's
hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; ICJ decision expected to
resolve dispute with Turkmenistan over sovereignty of certain
Caspian oilfields
Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for
CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point
for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent
the rest of Europe
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Bahamas, The
Introduction Bahamas, The
Background:
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 Bahamas, The
Location:
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Geographic coordinates:
24 15 N, 76 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
3,542 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 0.6% permanent crops: 0.4% other: 99% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind
damage
Environment - current issues:
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
Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
of which 30 are inhabited
People Bahamas, The
Population:
297,477
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
2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 28.8% (male 42,799; female 42,730)
15–64 years: 65.4% (male 95,718; female 98,875)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 7,092; female 10,263) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 27 years
male: 26.2 years
female: 27.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
0.77% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
18.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
8.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
−2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 32.45 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.71 years
male: 62.3 years
female: 69.18 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,200 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
610 (2001 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian
Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Religions:
Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church
of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
Languages: