$NA
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Electricity - production:
19.35 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Electricity - consumption:
15.68 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Electricity - exports:
786 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
548 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
875,200 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Oil - consumption:
126,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Oil - exports:
528,900 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Oil - imports:
2,848 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Oil - proved reserves:
7 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Natural gas - production:
16.2 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Natural gas - consumption:
10.64 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
Natural gas - exports:
5.564 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 25
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - proved reserves:
849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Current account balance:
$16.45 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $9.019 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$30.59 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 $21.27 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs
Exports - partners:
Italy 40.2%, US 12.6%, Israel 7.6%, India 5.1%, France 4.9% (2008)
Imports:
$7.575 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 $6.045 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Russia 18.8%, Turkey 11.3%, Germany 8.4%, Ukraine 7.9%, China 6.7%,
UK 5.4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.519 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $4.273 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.635 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 $2.439 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$7.844 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $7.829 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$5.232 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $4.677 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - 0.8219 (2008 est.), 0.8581 (2007), 0.8934 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004)
note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat
Communications ::Azerbaijan
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.311 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 68
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.548 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 76
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100 persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration has increased rapidly and is currently about 80 telephones per 100 persons
domestic: fixed-line telephony and a broad range of other telecom services are controlled by a state-owned telecommunications monopoly and growth has been stagnant; more competition exists in the mobile-cellular market with three providers in 2006; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic link transits Azerbaijan providing international connectivity to neighboring countries; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Internet country code:
.az
Internet hosts:
7,045 (2009) country comparison to the world: 130
Internet users:
1.485 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 75
Transportation ::Azerbaijan
Airports:
34 (2009) country comparison to the world: 111
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 1 km; gas 3,361 km; oil 1,424 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,122 km country comparison to the world: 71 broad gauge: 2,122 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 59,141 km country comparison to the world: 74 paved: 29,210 km
unpaved: 29,931 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 89 country comparison to the world: 52 by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 46, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 3
registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 2, Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Baku (Baki)
Military ::Azerbaijan
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,278,888
females age 16-49: 2,291,770 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,727,464
females age 16-49: 1,944,260 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 90,416
female: 85,344 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.6% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Transnational Issues ::Azerbaijan
Disputes - international:
Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have ratified Caspian seabed 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; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 2,400 (Russia)
IDPs: 580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Azerbaijan is primarily a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for the purpose of sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor; Azerbaijan serves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Azerbaijan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate, prosecute, and punish traffickers; to address complicity among law enforcement personnel; and to adequately identify and protect victims in Azerbaijan; the government has yet to develop a much-needed mechanism to identify potential trafficking victims and refer them to safety and care; poor treatment of trafficking victims in courtrooms continues to be a problem (2008)
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
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Bahamas, The (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Bahamas, The
Background:
Lucayan 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 Europe, 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: 13,880 sq km country comparison to the world: 160 land: 10,010 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
3,542 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 0.58%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 99.13% (2005)
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
NA
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, 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:
309,156 country comparison to the world: 176 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 40,085/female 39,959)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 102,154/female 105,482)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 8,772/female 12,704) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.7 years
male: 27.9 years
female: 29.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.536% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Birth rate:
16.81 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125
Death rate:
9.32 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 77
Net migration rate:
-2.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Urbanization:
urban population: 84% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 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 (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 93 male: 28.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.78 years country comparison to the world: 164 male: 62.63 years
female: 68.98 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
6,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Nationality:
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian
Ethnic groups:
black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%
Religions:
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 94.7%
female: 96.5% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
3.6% of GDP (2000) country comparison to the world: 125
Government ::Bahamas, The
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas
Government type:
constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Nassau
geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Administrative divisions:
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, Nichollstown and Berry Islands,
Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador, and Rum Cay
Independence:
10 July 1973 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 10 July (1973)
Constitution:
10 July 1973
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18
Judicial branch:
Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court;
Magistrates' Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal
Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Friends of the Environment
other: trade unions
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660
FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence
mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370
telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)
FAX: [1] (242) 328-2206
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side; the band colors represent the golden beaches of the islands surrounded by the aquamarine sea; black represents the vigor and force of a united people, while the pointing triangle indicates the enterprise and determination of the Bahamian people to develop the rich resources of land and sea
Economy ::Bahamas, The
Economy - overview:
The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006 and will likely drop even further in 2009. Tourism, in turn, depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. To help offset the effect of the global economic downturn, particularly on employment, the INGRAHAM administration plans to engage in infrastructure projects. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.352 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 152 $9.495 billion (2007 est.)
$9.236 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.564 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 2.8% (2007 est.)
4.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$30,700 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 $31,400 (2007 est.)
$30,900 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7%
services: 90% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
175,500 (2007) country comparison to the world: 168
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.6% (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Population below poverty line:
9.3% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: 27% (2000)
Budget:
revenues: $1.03 billion
expenditures: $1.03 billion (FY04/05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Central bank discount rate:
5.25% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 81 5.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 138 5.5% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.255 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 82 $1.274 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$4.637 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $4.324 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$7.883 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 $7.395 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: