factbook.json/central-america-n-caribbean/bf.json

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "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 has prospered through tourism, international banking, and investment management. Because of its location, 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": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "24 15 N, 76 00 W"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Central America and the Caribbean"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "13,880 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "10,010 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "3,870 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "slightly smaller than Connecticut"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "text": "0 km"
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "3,542 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills"
    },
    "Elevation extremes": {
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Atlantic Ocean 0 m"
      },
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Mount Alvernia on Cat Island 63 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "salt, aragonite, timber, arable land"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "1.4% ++ arable land 0.8%; permanent crops 0.4%; permanent pasture 0.2%"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "51.4%"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "47.2% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "10 sq km (2003)"
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "0.02 cu km (2011)"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage"
    },
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "coral reef decay; solid waste disposal"
    },
    "Environment - international agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "none of the selected agreements"
      }
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Bahamian(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Bahamian"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "black 90.6%, white 4.7%, black and white 2.1%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "text": "English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Protestant 69.9% (includes Baptist 34.9%, Anglican 13.7%, Pentecostal 8.9% Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, Methodist 3.6%, Church of God 1.9%, Brethren 1.6%), Roman Catholic 12%, other Christian 13% (includes Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), other 0.6%, none 1.9%, unspecified 2.6% (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Population": {
      "text": "324,597",
      "note": {
        "text": "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 2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "22.98% (male 37,838/female 36,747)"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "17.15% (male 28,195/female 27,459)"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "44.08% (male 71,528/female 71,555)"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "8.58% (male 12,429/female 15,436)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "7.21% (male 8,981/female 14,429) (2015 est.)"
      },
      "population pyramid": {
        "text": null
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "41.2%"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "29.6%"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "11.7%"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "8.5% (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "31.5 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "30.4 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "32.6 years (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.85% (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "15.5 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "7.05 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "82.9% of total population (2015)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "1.53% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "NASSAU (capital) 267,000 (2014)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "1 male(s)/female"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "0.81 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.62 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.96 male(s)/female (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "11.92 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "11.75 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "72.2 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "69.77 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "74.7 years (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "1.96 children born/woman (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Health expenditures": {
      "text": "7.3% of GDP (2013)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "2.82 physicians/1,000 population (2008)"
    },
    "Hospital bed density": {
      "text": "2.9 beds/1,000 population (2011)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 98.4% of population ++ rural: 98.4% of population ++ total: 98.4% of population"
      },
      "unimproved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 1.6% of population ++ rural: 1.6% of population ++ total: 1.6% of population (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 92% of population ++ rural: 92% of population ++ total: 92% of population"
      },
      "unimproved": {
        "text": " ++ urban: 8% of population ++ rural: 8% of population ++ total: 8% of population (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "3.22% (2013 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": {
      "text": "7,700 (2013 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - deaths": {
      "text": "500 (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "36.6% (2014)"
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": {
      "total": {
        "text": "30.8%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "29.6%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "32.2% (2012 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Commonwealth of The Bahamas"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "The Bahamas"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "name derives from the Spanish \"baha mar,\" meaning shallow sea, which describes the shallow waters of the Bahama Banks"
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Nassau"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "25 05 N, 77 21 W"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "daylight saving time": {
        "text": "+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "31 districts; Acklins Islands, Berry Islands, Bimini, Black Point, Cat Island, Central Abaco, Central Andros, Central Eleuthera, City of Freeport, Crooked Island and Long Cay, East Grand Bahama, Exuma, Grand Cay, Harbour Island, Hope Town, Inagua, Long Island, Mangrove Cay, Mayaguana, Moore's Island, North Abaco, North Andros, North Eleuthera, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, South Abaco, South Andros, South Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, West Grand Bahama"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "10 July 1973 (from the UK)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Independence Day, 10 July (1973)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "text": "previous 1964 (preindependence); latest adopted 20 June 1973, effective 10 July 1973; amended many times, last in 2002; note - in 2012, a constitutional commission was appointed to review and recommend constitutional changes (2013)"
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "common law system based on the English model"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Marguerite PINDLING (since 8 July 2014)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 8 May 2012)"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Cabinet appointed by governor general on recommendation of prime minister"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "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 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (38 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms); note - the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "last held on 7 May 2012 (next to be held by May 2017)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLP 30, FNM 8"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest resident court(s)": {
        "text": "The Bahamas Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices, organized in 3-member panels); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 9 justices – as of 2015)"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "as of 2008, the Bahamas was not a party to the agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice as the highest appellate court for the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) serves as the final court of appeal for The Bahamas"
      },
      "judge selection and term of office": {
        "text": "Court of Appeal president and Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition party; other Court of Appeal and Supreme Court justices appointed by the governor general upon recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, a 5-member body headed by the chief justice; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 68, but can be extended until age 70; Supreme Court justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement normally at age 65 but can be extended until age 67"
      },
      "subordinate courts": {
        "text": "Industrial Tribunal; Stipendiary and Magistrates' Courts; Family Island Administrators"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert MINNIS] ++ Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]"
    },
    "Political pressure groups and leaders": {
      "text": "Friends of the Environment",
      "other": {
        "text": "trade unions"
      }
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Dr. Eugene Glenwood NEWRY (since 3 December 2013)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 319-2660"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 319-2668"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "Atlanta, Miami, New York"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires Lisa A. JOHNSON (since 9 July 2014"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (242) 328-2206"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "blue marlin, flamingo, Yellow Elder flower; national colors: aquamarine, yellow, black"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "\"March On, Bahamaland!\""
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Timothy GIBSON"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "adopted 1973; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, \"God Save the Queen\" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economy - overview": {
      "text": "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. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 35% of GDP. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute less than one 10th of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. The economy of The Bahamas shrank at an average pace of 0.8% annually between 2007 and 2011, and tourism, financial services, and construction - pillars of the national economy - remain subdued. Conditions are improving in the tourism sector, however, due to steady foreign investment led activity. New resort and marina developments are likely to provide sustained employment opportunities."
    },
    "GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "text": "$9.022 billion (2014 est.) ++ $8.907 billion (2013 est.) ++ $8.848 billion (2012 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "data are in 2014 US dollars"
      }
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$8.657 billion (2014 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - real growth rate": {
      "text": "1.3% (2014 est.) ++ 0.7% (2013 est.) ++ 1% (2012 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - per capita (PPP)": {
      "text": "$25,000 (2014 est.) ++ $24,700 (2013 est.) ++ $24,600 (2012 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "data are in 2014 US dollars"
      }
    },
    "Gross national saving": {
      "text": "6.3% of GDP (2014 est.) ++ 9.8% of GDP (2013 est.) ++ 10.1% of GDP (2012 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "69.7%"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "16.5%"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "27%"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "1.3%"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "42.5%"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-57% ++  (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "2.1%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "7.3%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "90.6% (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agriculture - products": {
      "text": "citrus, vegetables; poultry"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "tourism, banking, oil bunkering, maritime industries, transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "1.5% (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "196,900 (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "3%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "11%"
      },
      "tourism": {
        "text": "49%"
      },
      "other services": {
        "text": "37% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "text": "15% (2014 est.) ++ 14% (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "9.3% (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "1%"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "22% (2007 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$1.7 billion"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$2.1 billion (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "19.7% of GDP (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "-4.6% of GDP (2014 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "text": "57.6% of GDP (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "1 July - 30 June"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "text": "1.2% (2014 est.) ++ 0.4% (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Central bank discount rate": {
      "text": "4.5% (1 January 2014) ++ 4.5% (31 December 2012)"
    },
    "Commercial bank prime lending rate": {
      "text": "5.5% (31 December 2014 est.) ++ 4.75% (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of narrow money": {
      "text": "$1.659 billion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $1.641 billion (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of broad money": {
      "text": "$6.453 billion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $6.076 billion (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Stock of domestic credit": {
      "text": "$9.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $8.926 billion (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Market value of publicly traded shares": {
      "text": "$2.78 billion (31 December 2012 est.)"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "text": "-$1.871 billion (2014 est.) ++ -$1.637 billion (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "text": "$960 million (2014 est.) ++ $909.3 million (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "crawfish, aragonite, crude salt, polystyrene products"
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "Cote dIvoire 20.5%, US 14.7%, India 13.4%, Dominican Republic 10.6%, Mexico 6.9%, Ecuador 4.9% (2014)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "text": "$3.05 billion (2014 est.) ++ $3.127 billion (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals"
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "US 30.8%, Japan 11.4%, Singapore 9.4%, South Korea 7.7%, Colombia 7.4%, China 6.8%, Brazil 5.6% (2014)"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "text": "$1.025 billion (31 December 2014 est.) ++ $807.4 million (31 December 2013 est.)"
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "text": "$17.56 billion (31 December 2013 est.) ++ $16.35 billion (31 December 2012 est.)"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "text": "Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - ++ 1 (2014 est.) ++ 1 (2013 est.) ++ 1 (2012 est.) ++ 1 (2011 est.) ++ 1 (2010 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity - production": {
      "text": "2.19 billion kWh (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - consumption": {
      "text": "2.037 billion kWh (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - exports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - imports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - installed generating capacity": {
      "text": "493,000 kW (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from fossil fuels": {
      "text": "100% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": {
      "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": {
      "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - from other renewable sources": {
      "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - exports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - imports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - consumption": {
      "text": "25,760 bbl/day (2013 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "41,770 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "64,600 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - production": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - consumption": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - exports": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - imports": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)"
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy": {
      "text": "3.836 million Mt (2012 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "140,000"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "43 (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total": {
        "text": "273,300"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "85 (2014 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephone system": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "modern facilities"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband Internet services"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "2 TV stations operated by government-owned, commercially run Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB); multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available; about 15 radio stations operating with BCB operating a multi-channel radio broadcasting network alongside privately owned radio stations (2007)"
    },
    "Radio broadcast stations": {
      "text": "AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2009)"
    },
    "Television broadcast stations": {
      "text": "2 (2006)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".bs"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "247,200"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "76.8% (2014 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "Airports": {
      "text": "61 (2013)"
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "24"
      },
      "over 3,047 m": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "2,438 to 3,047 m": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "1,524 to 2,437 m": {
        "text": "13"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "7 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "37"
      },
      "1,524 to 2,437 m": {
        "text": "4"
      },
      "914 to 1,523 m": {
        "text": "16"
      },
      "under 914 m": {
        "text": " ++ 17 (2013)"
      }
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "1 (2013)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2,700 km"
      },
      "paved": {
        "text": "1,620 km"
      },
      "unpaved": {
        "text": "1,080 km (2011)"
      }
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,160"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 238, cargo 170, carrier 2, chemical tanker 87, combination ore/oil 8, container 57, liquefied gas 71, passenger 102, passenger/cargo 26, petroleum tanker 225, refrigerated cargo 97, roll on/roll off 13, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 61"
      },
      "foreign-owned": {
        "text": "1,069 (Angola 6, Australia 1, Belgium 6, Bermuda 15, Brazil 1, Canada 96, Croatia 1, Cyprus 23, Denmark 69, Finland 8, France 15, Germany 30, Greece 225, Guernsey 6, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 2, Ireland 3, Italy 1, Japan 88, Jordan 2, Kuwait 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 8, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 23, Nigeria 2, Norway 186, Poland 34, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 7, South Korea 1, Spain 6, Sweden 11, Switzerland 1, Thailand 4, Turkey 3, UAE 23, UK 18, US 109)"
      },
      "registered in other countries": {
        "text": "6 (Panama 6) (2010)"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point"
      },
      "container port(s) (TEUs)": {
        "text": "Freeport (1,116,272)(2011)"
      },
      "cruise port(s)": {
        "text": "Nassau"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military": {
    "Military branches": {
      "text": "Royal Bahamas Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2011)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "18 years of age for voluntary male and female service; no conscription (2012)"
    },
    "Manpower available for military service": {
      "males age 16-49": {
        "text": "85,568 (2010 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Manpower fit for military service": {
      "males age 16-49": {
        "text": "63,429"
      },
      "females age 16-49": {
        "text": "64,645 (2010 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually": {
      "male": {
        "text": "2,829"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "2,750 (2010 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "disagrees with the US on the alignment of the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary"
    },
    "Illicit drugs": {
      "text": "transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center"
    }
  }
}