BahamasBahamas – Politics, Facts, and More

Bahamas

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

The Bahamas consists of one large island and more than 700 smaller islands that form an archipelago of the East Coast of Florida. To its west, Miami is only 200 km away and to its south it is sealed off by Cuba. It is thought that the Bahamas were created after the breakup of the continent of Pangaea several million years ago.

The Bahamas, officially known as the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, derives its name from the Spanish Baja Mar which mean shallow sea. It was the first islands that was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and has become a British settlement throughout the 17th, 18th, 19th and halfway up to the 20th century when the Bahamas became independent in 1973. Throughout British colonial rule, the Bahamas were a central hub for the African slave trade as well as one of the central points for Caribbean piracy. Since its independence, the Bahamas have become a popular tourist destination due to its white beaches and crystal blue waters.

It has a total surface size of just over 14,000 km² or 5400 mi.². This makes the Bahamas the 155th largest state in the world. It is slightly larger than Montenegro and slightly smaller than Swaziland (Eswatini)

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its total water surface area is estimated to be around 4000 km² or 1500 mi.² which ranks it 75th in terms of surface water.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

On the other hand, the share of inland water is around 28% which ranks the Bahamas as the second state with the highest share of water in the world

Due to its location within the tropical zone, the Bahamas enjoy all year warm weather. Its summer season ranges from May to October and is known as the wet season. The wet season is characterized by being hot cloudy and very humid. On average, the temperature of the Bahamas is 24.8°C or 76.6°F this ranks the Bahamas as the 65th warmest state in the world.

Temperature

During the summer months, the average temperature is around 28.1°C or 82.6°F which ranks the Bahamas as the 86th warmest state in the world during the summer season.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

The average lowest temperature occurs during the winter. During this time, the Bahamas experience an average low temperature of 21.3°C or 70.3°F.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

On average, the Bahamas experiences around 117 cm or 46 inches of rainfall per year. This is heavily bound to its seasons when in the driest season it receives only one third of the rainfall compared to the wet season.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, has a population of around 230,000 people. The capital that is closest to Nassau is Havana, Cuba with a distance of 544 kilometers or 338 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed from the Bahamas is Jakarta Indonesia with a distance of 17,800 kilometers or 11,100 miles.

The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest states in the region. One of its main sources of income are offshore banking as well as tourism which are responsible for more than half of its GDP. The Bahamian government has tried to diversify its economy and become less dependent on these two sectors. However, this diversification did not succeed and as a consequence of the economic crisis of 2008 as well as the corona crisis from 2019, the tourism sector as well as the banking sector declined rapidly which directly affected a large share of its GDP. At present, the largest export products of the Bahamas are petroleum, fish related products and ships. Which are mainly exported to the United States which is responsible for more than 75 percent of its exports as well as more than 80 percent of its imports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, the Bahamas is a member of 10 international economic organizations which ranks it as the 145th most economically interconnected state the world. These international economic organizations are:

Caribbean Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Caribbean Community
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77

The Bahamas has a GDP of US$12.7 billion which corresponds to roughly 0.015 percent of total global GDP and ranks the Bahamas is the 134th highest GDP in the world.

Its GDP per capita is around US$32,500 which ranks the Bahamas citizens as the 28th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) has shown that the average Afghani earns $517.54 per year. The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Afghan citizen makes.

Its GDP per surface area is around 907,000 U.S. Dollars per square kilometer or 2,351,000 U.S. dollars per square mile which ranks it as the 71st highest GDP per surface area

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power parity per capita also amounts to US$32,500 per capita which ranks the purchasing power of the Bahamian citizens as the 45th highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Afghanistan.

In total, the Bahamas is home to more than 390,000 inhabitants which ranks it as the 150th most populous state in the world. Due to its history in slavery, most of the Bahamian citizens are of African descent. There are some European minorities residing within the Bahamas. These are mainly tourists or descendants of refugees from the American Revolution. Due to its British colonial rule, English is known to be the only language spoken within the Bahamas. The population is centralized with approximately two thirds located on the central islands and the remaining population spreads throughout the remaining 700 islands. The islands that are most inhabited are the islands that are easily accessible by sea or by air.

Population

Population density

The population per surface area is around 28 people per square kilometer or 72 people per square mile which ranks it as the 152nd most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration

Due to English in its native language, most inhabitants of the Bahamas emigrate to economically prosperous English-speaking states. These are mainly the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. It is estimated that more than 45,000 people have emigrated which corresponds to roughly 11.6 percent of the total population. This ranks the Bahamas as the 173rd state with the highest emigration and corresponds to roughly 0.018 percent of total global emigration.

Immigration

As a result of natural disasters, immigration has been relatively low. Another factor that limits immigration is the policy by the Bahamian government which seeks to balance the prosperity of immigration with the availability of natural resources. In total more than 50,000 people have immigrated to the Bahamas which corresponds to roughly 13.9 percent of the total population.

Literacy

More than three quarters of Bahamian schools are operated by the government. The quality of education by these schools is relatively poor with some reports of overcrowding and limited educational resources. Even though primary education is compulsory for ages 5 to 18, only 90 percent of children attend school. This has resulted in an overall literacy rate of 95 percent which ranks the Bahamas as the 88th most literate state in the world.

Health

Healthcare is provided in full and for free to all Bahamian citizens. The average life expectancy is around 74.3 years with women averaging around 76.5 and men averaging around 71.9 years. This ranks the Bahamas as the 107th state with the highest life expectancy in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

In terms of multi religiousness, the Bahamas is ranked as the 156th most multi religious state in the world. Even though the Bahamian government provides freedom of religion and holds a secular stance towards religion, it still officially embraces Christian values. Other religions, with the exception of voodoo related religions, experience no limitations by the Bahamian government.

The main religion of the Bahamas is Christianity which represents around 95.8 percent of the total population. This makes the Bahamas the fourth most Christian state in the world. The largest share within the Christian population are the Baptists and Pentecostal denominations.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

There is no data available of Islamic residents within the Bahamas. It is estimated that there are a few Islamic businessmen residing in Nassau which represents around 0.1 percent of the total population.

There is no data available of Bahamian citizens that adhere to Buddhism.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

According to the recent Bahamian census, around 400 Hindus are permanently residing within the Bahamas. This represents around 0.03 percent of the total Bahamian population.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

At present, there are around 500 Jews residing in the Bahamas, which represents around 0.05 percent of the total population. These Jews came with British that were fleeing persecution in Europe around the 17th century and have established a synagogue as well as a Jewish cemetery.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions are mainly related to voodoo. Even though the government formally prohibits this religious expression, it does not enforce this prohibition. It is estimated that around 0.4 percent of the total population practices a version of voodoo which is called Obeah.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

The amount of people that do not adhere to any religion is estimated to be around 2.1 percent of the total population. These people are mainly people of European descent.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, the Bahamas spends US$67 million or around 0.58 percent of its total GDP on its military. This ranks the Bahamian military as the 149th most funded military in the world.

The military of the Bahamas, also known as the Royal Bahamas defense force. These military forces are solely focused on naval activity and are deployed when the territorial integrity of the Bahamas is at stake or in times of natural disasters.

Military membership

However, it is a member of four international military organizations which ranks it as the 100th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

The Bahamas have not fought any international wars.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, the Bahamas is a member of nine international political organizations. This ranks the Bahamas as the 149th most politically interconnected state in the world is a member of the following international political organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Organization of American States
Association of Caribbean States Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
Commonwealth of Nations
Interpol
Alliance of Small Island States
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

At present, the Bahamas is known to be a full democracy.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The Bahamas is known to have a parliamentary democracy with regular elections. Because it is a state within the British Commonwealth, it is formally known as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with the British monarch as the head of state and the Bahamian president as the head of government