s--partners: US 34.9%, EU 24.3%, Japan 15.5%, Russia 6.3%
(1997)

Debt--external: $381.7 million (1997)

Economic aid--recipient: $9.8 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate
pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June

Communications

Telephones: 200,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: 91,183 telephone subscribers; totally automatic system;
highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 200,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: 60,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1997 est.)

Ports and harbors: Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau

Merchant marine:
total: 1,079 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,631,924
GRT/41,196,326 DWT
ships by type: bulk 209, cargo 241, chemical tanker 43, combination
bulk 13, combination ore/oil 22, container 61, liquefied gas tanker
34, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 170, passenger 62,
passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 140,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 12, specialized
tanker 2, vehicle carrier 19
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 49
countries among which are Norway 177, Greece 141, UK 113, US 61,
Denmark 39, Finland 27, Japan 25, Sweden 24, France 22, and Italy 22
(1998 est.)

Airports: 62 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard
only), Royal Bahamas Police Force

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana
bound for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money
laundering

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