Official Name: Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Currency: Bahamian Dollar
Current Exchange Rate: |
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Hemisphere: North
Continent: North America
Location:Chain of islands in the Caribbean Sea, south-east of Florida.
Area: 5,382 sq mi, 13,838 sq km
Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [16]; House of Assembly [41]
Population: (2007) 331,000
Population Density: (2006): persons per sq mi 85.1, persons per sq km 32.9
Principal Language(s): English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Religions: Baptist 35%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 14%, other Christian 15%
Capital: Nassau
Capital Population: 240,000
Capital Average Temperature: 24.8 degrees Celsius, 76.6 Fahrenheit
Major Cities: Nassau (240,000); (2002) Freeport 42,600; West End 7,800; Cooper’s Town 5,700; Marsh Harbour 3,600
Topography: Nearly 700 islands (29 inhabited) and over 2,000 inlets in the W Atlantic Ocean extend 760 miles NW to SE.
Economy: G.D.P. $6.93 billion
G.D.P. per Capita: $22,700 per capita
Vital Statistics: Birth Rate per 1,000 (2006): 17.6; Death Rate per 1,000 (2006): 9.1 Total Fertility Rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 2006) 2.18. Life expectancy at birth (2006): male 62.2 years; female 69.0 years.
Government Website: www.bahamas.gov.bs
Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac 2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate website.
