growth prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the
fortunes of the tourism sector and continued sturdy growth in the
US, which accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%

industry: 7%

services: 90% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 156,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation: tourism 40%, other services 50%,
industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $766 million

expenditures: $845 million, including capital expenditures of $97
million (FY97/98)

Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and
transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded
steel pipe

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 1.465 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 1.362 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: citrus, vegetables; poultry

Exports: $376.8 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish,
refined petroleum products

Exports - partners: US 22.3%, Switzerland 15.6%, UK 15%, Denmark
7.4% (1998)

Imports: $1.73 billion (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil,
vehicles, electronics

Imports - partners: US 27.3%, Italy 26.5%, Japan 10%, Denmark 4.2%
(1998)

Debt - external: $385.8 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $9.8 million (1995)

Currency: Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code: BSD

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate
pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Bahamas, The Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 96,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,152 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern facilities

domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed

international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
3 coaxia