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Compare Bahamas, The (2001) - Sierra Leone (2008)

Compare Bahamas, The (2001) z Sierra Leone (2008)

 Bahamas, The (2001)Sierra Leone (2008)
 Bahamas, TheSierra Leone
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, Nicholls Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Age structure 0-14 years:
29.43% (male 44,179; female 43,486)

15-64 years:
64.46% (male 94,329; female 97,674)

65 years and over:
6.11% (male 7,618; female 10,566) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 44.8% (male 1,349,878/female 1,400,297)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,531,763/female 1,664,996)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 92,360/female 105,268) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products citrus, vegetables; poultry rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports 65 (2000 est.) 10 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
36

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
16

914 to 1,523 m:
13

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
29

914 to 1,523 m:
6

under 914 m:
23 (2000 est.)
total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total:
13,940 sq km

land:
10,070 sq km

water:
3,870 sq km
total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut slightly smaller than South Carolina
Background 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 its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
Birth rate 19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 45.41 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$766 million

expenditures:
$845 million, including capital expenditures of $97 million (FY97/98)
revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Capital Nassau name: Freetown


geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 3,542 km 402 km
Constitution 10 July 1973 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name conventional long form:
Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form:
The Bahamas
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone


local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


local short form: Sierra Leone
Currency Bahamian dollar (BSD) -
Death rate 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $385.8 million (2000 est.) $1.61 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate J. Richard BLANKENSHIP

embassy:
Queen Street, Nassau

mailing address:
local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; stateside address: American Embassy Nassau, P. O. Box 599009, Miami, FL 33159-9009; pouch address: Nassau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-3370

telephone:
[1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206

FAX:
[1] (242) 356-0222
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL


embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000


FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Joshua SEARS

chancery:
2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 319-2660

FAX:
[1] (202) 319-2668

consulate(s) general:
Miami and New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Hassan M. CONTECH


chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Disputes - international none as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
Economic aid - recipient $9.8 million (1995) $343.4 million (2005 est.)
Economy - overview The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by an estimated 3% in 1998, 6% in 1999, and 4.5% in 2000. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute only 10% of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall 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. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
Electricity - consumption 1.362 billion kWh (1999) 227.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 1.465 billion kWh (1999) 245 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues coral reef decay; solid waste disposal rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Exchange rates Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar) leones per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2 January 1995)

head of government:
Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since December 1994)

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)


cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Exports $376.8 million (2000 est.) 431.1 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish, refined petroleum products diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners US 22.3%, Switzerland 15.6%, UK 15%, Denmark 7.4% (1998) Belgium 52.1%, US 19.1%, Netherlands 6.8% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
3%

industry:
7%

services:
90% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4.5% (2000 est.) 6.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 15 N, 76 00 W 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) 2 (2007)
Highways total:
2,693 km

paved:
1,546 km

unpaved:
1,147 km (1997)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money laundering -
Imports $1.73 billion (2000 est.) 8,864 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners US 27.3%, Italy 26.5%, Japan 10%, Denmark 4.2% (1998) Cote d'Ivoire 9.3%, US 7.7%, China 7.7%, Brazil 6.9%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, South Africa 4.5%, India 4.3%, France 4.2% (2006)
Independence 10 July 1973 (from UK) 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Infant mortality rate 17.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 158.27 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 175.39 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 140.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.9% (2000 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 19 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 300 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force 156,000 (1999) 1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation tourism 40%, other services 50%, industry 5%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.) agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
0%

forests and woodland:
32%

other:
67% (1993 est.)
arable land: 7.95%


permanent crops: 1.05%


other: 91% (2005)
Languages English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants) English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system based on English common law based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FNM 35, PLP 5
unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Life expectancy at birth total population:
70.46 years

male:
67.27 years

female:
73.71 years (2001 est.)
total population: 40.58 years


male: 38.36 years


female: 42.87 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98.2%

male:
98.5%

female:
98% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic


total population: 35.1%


male: 46.9%


female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
Location Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1,049 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 30,000,221 GRT/44,601,471 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 185, cargo 214, chemical tanker 36, combination bulk 15, combination ore/oil 22, container 66, liquefied gas 33, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 79, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 182, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 118, roll on/roll off 50, short-sea passenger 15, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 24

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Algeria 2, Australia 1, Austria 1, Bermuda 6, Belgium 14, Canada 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 17, Finland 7, France 9, Germany 9, Greece 89, Hong Kong 7, Indonesia 2, India 1, Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 23, Jamaica 1, Kenya 1, Lebanon 2, Luxembourg 2, Monaco 15, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 16, Norway 139, Poland 3, Portugal 2, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 12, Spain 7, Sweden 14, Syria 1, Switzerland 7, UAE 1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, UK 67, Ukraine 3, US 50, British Virgin Islands 1, British Virgin Islands 1 (2000 est.)
total: 113 ships (1000 GRT or over) 314,549 GRT/419,409 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 85, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 47 (Belgium 1, China 8, Greece 1, Romania 2, Russia 5, Syria 8, Turkey 7, Ukraine 8, UAE 7) (2007)
Military branches Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police Force Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Navy (Maritime Wing)) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $20 million (FY95/96) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.3% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 10 July (1973) Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Nationality noun:
Bahamian(s)

adjective:
Bahamian
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive flood and wind damage dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources salt, aragonite, timber, arable land diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders NA trade unions and student unions
Population 297,852

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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
6,144,562 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 70.2% (2004)
Population growth rate 0.93% (2001 est.) 2.292% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau -
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios 215,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2% Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
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 (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.964 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.877 male(s)/female


total population: 0.938 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
modern facilities

domestic:
totally automatic system; highly developed

international:
tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997)
general assessment: marginal telephone service


domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema


international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 96,000 (1997) 24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6,152 (1997) 113,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 2 (1999)
Terrain long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate 2.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.01 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 9% (1998 est.) NA%
Waterways none 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
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