The Bahamas

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Government and politics

Main article: Politics of The Bahamas

The Bahamas is an independent country and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom.

The Queen of England is the ceremonial head of state, represented by a Bahamian governor-general. The Prime Minister is the head of government and is the leader of the party with the most seats in the elected House of Assembly. The current Governor General is Arthur Dion Hanna and the current Prime Minister is Hubert Alexander Ingraham. The upper house (the Senate) is appointed. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament.

The party system is dominated by the centre-left Progressive Liberal Party and the centre-right Free National Movement. A handful of splinter parties have been unable to win election to parliament. These parties include the Bahamas Democratic Movement, the Coalition for Democratic Reform and the Bahamian Nationalist Party.

Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. Although The Bahamas is not geographically located in the Caribbean, it is a member of the Caribbean Community. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

Demographics

Blacks 85%, Whites 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% according to the last census completed about the races on the island, which was recorded in 1953.

1953 census results by island

Region	European	%	Mixed	%	African	%	Total
New Providence		14.80%		14.90%		70.30%
Andros and Berry Islands	97	1.30%	299	4.01%		94.69%
Grand Bahama and Bimini	450	8.30%	721	13.31%		78.39%
Abaco		33.63%	225	6.60%		59.77%
Harbour Island	861	56.42%	53	3.47%	612	40.10%
Eleuthera	662	10.93%		17.54%		71.53%
Cat Island	12	0.37%	86	2.69%		96.94%
Exuma	59	2.02%	61	2.09%		95.89%
San Salvador and Rum Cay	46	5.56%	51	6.17%	730	88.27%	827
Long Island and Ragged Island	564	13.84%		50.83%		35.33%
Crooked Islands, Acklins and Long Cay	7	0.32%	513	23.44%		76.24%
Mayaguana and Inagua	60	3.74%	95	5.93%		90.33%
Bahamas		12.71%		14.28%		73.01%

Source:

Population: 300,529 (July 2002 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 43,964; female 43,250) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 95,508; female 98,859) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 7,948; female 11,000) (2002 est.) Population growth rate: 0.86% (2002 est.) Birth rate: 18.69 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) Death rate: 7.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) Net migration rate: -2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Infant mortality rate: 17.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.87 years female: 73.49 years (2002 est.) male: 66.32 years Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2002 est.) Nationality: noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian Ethnic groups: black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% Religions: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% Languages: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants) Literacy (age 15+): total population: 98.2% male: 98.5% female: 98% (1995 est.)

Source: The Bahamas guide

Culture and sports

Bahamian culture is a hybrid of African and European influences. Perhaps its greatest expression is a rhythmic form of music called Junkanoo. Aside from Junkanoo, other indigenous forms of music include rake and scrape, calypso, and a unique form of hymnal, known internationally through the music of the late Joseph Spence. Marching bands are also an important part of life, playing at funerals, weddings and other ceremonial events. The country's first movie, Filthy Rich Gangster, was written and directed by a Bahamian named Jimmy Curry, who also wrote, produced and performed the regions first Hip Hop and Junkanoo Hip Hop records. Curry was also the first Bahamian signed to legendary American record label Sugar Hill Records. His firm is also re-releasing several of their movies including: Filthy Rich Gangster; Gun Lordz and others. In addition to movie and television productions, he has produced concerts, sporting events, and is the founder of the Bahamian American Arts Festival.

In the less developed outer islands - islands outside the capital Nassau, known as the "Out Islands" or "Family Islands" - crafts include basketry made from palm fronds. This material, commonly called "straw", is also plaited into hats and bags that are popular tourist items today.

Regattas are important social events in many family island settlements. They usually feature one or more days of sailing by old-fashioned work boats, as well as an onshore festival.

Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or food of that area, such as the "Pineapple Fest" in Gregory Town, Eleuthera or the "Crab Fest" on Andros. Other significant traditions include story telling.

A strongly religious country, there are more places of worship per person in the Bahamas than many other nations in the world. The islands are overwhelmingly Anglican Christian (over 80%). Baptists form the largest denomination (about one third), followed by the Roman Catholic churches. As of 2006, one out of 191 in the population was a Jehovah's Witness .

A few people, especially in the southern and eastern islands, practice Obeah, a spiritistic religion similar to Voudou. Voudou is also practiced by the large number of people from Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic. While well-known throughout the Bahamas, Obeah and Voudou are shunned by many Bahamians.

Officially, the national sport of the Bahamas is rugby. However, its popularity has declined. Track and field is currently the most popular sport. Football and rugby also have a strong following. American sports such as basketball, softball, baseball and American football are also played.

Bahamians have won Olympic gold medals in sailing (Sir Durwood Knowles and Cecile Cooke in 1964) and track and field (Tonique Williams-Darling in the 400m in 2004 and the women's relay team in the 4×100m in 2000).

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Bahamas

In the mid-1980s, the Bahamas was classified as an upper middle-income developing country and ranked among the wealthiest nations in the Caribbean region. In addition, the Bahamas is the third (3rd) wealthiest country in the western hemisphere. Tourism was the nation's primary economic activity. In 1986 the World Bank reported that tourism directly and indirectly accounted for approximately 50 percent of employment. Tourism's share of the gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at 70 percent by the United States Department of Commerce.

In order to lessen the economy's dependency on tourism, the government has followed a policy of diversification since the 1970s, emphasising development in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Success, however, has been limited. The nation experienced setbacks in the early 1980s with the closing of steel and cement plants and oil refineries. Because industries locating in the Bahamas tended to be capital intensive, the industrial sector's share of the labor force was estimated at just 6 percent in 1979. Industry's share of GDP was estimated at about 10 percent in the mid-1980s. The agricultural sector (including fishing) also employed only about 6 percent of the labour force in the early 1980s. Despite various programs to boost production, the World Bank estimated that agriculture in the Bahamas accounted for less than 5 percent of GDP in 1986. The nation's banking and finance sector experienced significant growth in the 1970s and 1980s. This sector contributed approximately 7 percent to GDP in the mid-1980s but employed only about 3,000 Bahamians.



The overall performance of the economy during the past several decades has been positive. In the 1960s, the country recorded robust economic growth; growth rates averaged 9 percent annually as direct foreign investment spurred the development of tourism. Economic performance in the 1970s was not as successful. The international economic recession caused a reduction in investment, especially after the 1973 and 1979 oil price shocks. Bahamian independence in 1973 also caused a certain amount of uncertainty, contributing further to reduced foreign investment. Toward the end of the decade, however, economic performance improved, led by growth in tourism; investment soon followed suit, resulting in a boom in the construction sector and an increase in employment levels.

The economy continued to perform well in the early and mid-1980s. Real GDP growth in the 1980-84 period averaged 3 percent. The only notable setback occurred in 1981, when recession in the United States resulted in a decline in stopover visitors (hotel occupants rather than cruise ship or day visitors) and the manufacturing sector was hurt by the closing of several plants; real GDP for that year fell by 9 percent. Tourism recovered quickly, however. In 1982 about 1.7 million foreign tourists visited the Bahamas, and by 1986 that figure had grown to 3 million. GDP was US$1.8 billion in 1985, and per capita GDP was estimated at US$7,822.

The nation was not without economic problems. Growth and development were not uniform throughout the country. Most development occurred in New Providence and Grand Bahama, causing significant migration from the Family Islands to these two urban centres. This migration strained the infrastructure and social sectors of New Providence and Grand Bahama. The government also was faced with the heavy burden of spreading facilities and services throughout the Family Islands. A second problem of the Bahamian economy was its dependence on a single sector, tourism; that sector's well-being was in turn affected by the economy in the United States, the source of most tourists. To reduce this dependency, the government actively pursued a policy of diversification. Finally, the country was afflicted with the problem of structural unemployment; in 1986 unemployment levels were estimated in the 17- to 22-percent range. Industrial development tended to be capital intensive because of a high wage structure and a scarcity of technically skilled labour.

In 2005, the Bahamas was captivated by a fight between a California golf developer and a small island, Great Guana Cay. The islanders opposed the megadevelopment on the grounds that the golf course and large imprint of the development would destroy the coral reef, the mangroves and sea turtle habitat of the island, as well as spoil their unique, quiet lifestyle and tourism draw.

The fight between Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club and the islanders became an allegory for the larger economic issues of the time. The Perry Christie Administration believed in doing anything to bring any kind of development to the Bahamas, and many believed his administration was handing out land, resources and special favors to unsavory foreign developers.

In the May 2007 elections, Perry Christie lost the Bahamian general elections. Many experts believe the Great Guana Cay struggle and the way it played out in the press helped the fall of a central government approach that overstepped local government bounds to favor unsustainable megadevelopments.

Today, Great Guana Cay is in appeals court with the developer, and many marine conservationists around the world, including Jean-Michel Cousteau oppose the development.

See also

Bermuda Triangle List of Bahamas-related topics Bahamians Bahamian English Movies Filmed in the Bahamas Bahamian-Americans Celebrity residents of the Bahamas Lyford Cay Compass Point Studios

Communications in the Bahamas Conception Island Tongue of the Ocean Foreign relations of the Bahamas Military of the Bahamas Transport in the Bahamas Postage stamps and postal history of the Bahamas The Scout Association of the Bahamas Rum Cay Flag of convenience

References

General history

• Cash Philip et al. (Don Maples, Alison Packer). The Making of the Bahamas: A History for Schools. London: Collins, 1978.
• Albury, Paul. The Story of The Bahamas. London: MacMillan Caribbean, 1975.
• Miller, Hubert W. The Colonization of the Bahamas, 1647–1670, The William and Mary Quarterly 2 no.1 (Jan 1945): 33–46.
• Craton, Michael. A History of the Bahamas. London: Collins, 1962.
• Craton, Michael and Saunders, Gail. Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992
• McCartney, Donald M., "Bahamian Culture And Factors Which Impact Upon It". Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing, 2004

Economic history

• Johnson, Howard. The Bahamas in Slavery and Freedom. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishing, 1991.
• Johnson, Howard. The Bahamas from Slavery to Servitude, 1783–1933. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1996.
• Storr, Virgil H. Enterprising Slaves and Master Pirates: Understanding Economic Life in the Bahamaz. New York: Peter Lang, 2004.

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Social history

• Johnson, Wittington B. Race Relations in the Bahamas, 1784–1834: The Nonviolent Transformation from a Slave to a Free Society. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 2000.
• Shirley, Paul. "Tek Force Wid Force", History Today 54, no. 41 (April 2004): 30–35.
• Saunders, Gail. The Social Life in the Bahamas 1880s–1920s. Nassau: Media Publishing, 1996.
• Saunders, Gail. Bahamas Society After Emancipation. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishing, 1990.
• Curry, Jimmy. Filthy Rich Gangster/First Bahamian Movie. Movie Mogul Pictures: 1996.

External links

• Official website for Bahamas government
• Official website for Bahamas Tourist Office
• Bahamas Financial Services Board
• The Association of International Banks & Trust Companies in The Bahamas
• The Bahamas Constitution
• Bahamian Studies Online
• CIA World Factbook entry on [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/.html Bahamas]

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Countries and territories of the Caribbean  •  • [ e] Sovereign states Commonwealth Realms Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Grenada Jamaica St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Commonwealth republics Dominica Trinidad and Tobago Other republics Cuba Dominican Republic Haiti  •  • [ e] Dependencies and other territories British Anguilla British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands Dutch Aruba Netherlands Antilles French Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Barthelemy St. Martin American Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands  •  • [ e] States and dependencies of Middle America States  —  Dependencies Anguilla (UK) Antigua and Barbuda Aruba (NL) Bahamas Barbados Belize British Virgin Islands (UK) Cayman Islands (UK) Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guadeloupe (FR) Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique (FR) Mexico Montserrat (UK)Netherlands Antilles (NL) Nicaragua Panama Puerto Rico (US) St.-Barthlemy (FR) St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Martin (FR) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) US Virgin Islands (US)  •  • [ e] Countries of North America Several nations listed here straddle both North and South America or can also be considered Caribbean Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Barthelemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Netherlands Antilles United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

International membership

•  • [ e] Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Members Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas1 Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Haiti1 Jamaica Montserrat2 St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Associate members Anguilla Bermuda Cayman Islands British Virgin Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Observers Aruba Colombia Dominican Republic Mexico Netherlands Antilles Puerto Rico Venezuela 1 Member of the Community but not of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).   2 British overseas territory awaiting entrustment to join the CSME.  •  • [ e] Commonwealth realms Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Grenada Jamaica New Zealand Papua New Guinea St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Solomon Islands Tuvalu United Kingdom  •  • [ e] Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Fiji The Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Swaziland Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Vanuatu Zambia Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australian Antarctic Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Coral Sea Islands Heard Island and McDonald Islands Norfolk Island India Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lakshadweep New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Ross Dependency Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Montserrat Pitcairn Islands St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands