THE BAHAMAS (Continued)
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), predominantly black, Lynden O. Pindling; Bahamian Democratic Party (BDP), Henry Bostwick; Free National Movement (FNM), Cecil Wallace-Whitfield; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Norman Solomon Voting strength (1977 election): PLP (55%) 30 seats, BDP (27%) 6 seats, FNM (15%) 2 seats, others (3%) seats
Communists: none known
Member of: CDB, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDB, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, UN, UPO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
ECONOMY
GNP: $1,083 million (1979), $4,650 per capita; real growth rate 3-4% (1980)
Agriculture: food importer, main crops—fish, fruits, vegetables Major industries: tourism, cement, oil refining, lumber, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld, and steel pipe
Electric power: 320,000 kW capacity (1981); 650 million kWh produced (1981), 3,307 kWh per capita
Exports (nonoil): $194 million (f.o.b., 1979); pharmaceuticals, cement, rum
Imports (nonoil): $364 million (f.o.b., 1979); foodstuffs, manufactured goods
Major trade partners: nonoil exports—US 41%, UK 12%, Canada 3%; nonoil imports—US 73%, UK 13%, Canada 2% (1973)
Aid: economic—bilateral commitments including Ex-Im (1970-80) from US, $34.3 million; from other Western countries (1970-79), $137.7 million; no military aid
Budget: (1979 actual) revenues, $208 million; expenditures, $216 million
Monetary conversion rate: 1 Bahamian dollar=US$1
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: none
Highways: 3,350 km total; 1,350 km paved, 2,000 km gravel
Ports: 2 major (Freeport, Nassau), 9 minor
Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in
Airfields: 55 total, 51 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: telecom facilities highly developed, including 62,000 telephones (28 per 100 popl.) in totally automatic system; tropospheric scatter link with Florida; 3 AM stations, 2 FM stations and 1 TV station; 3 coaxial submarine cables
BAHRAIN
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| (See reference map VI) |
LAND
596 km2 plus group of 32 smaller islands; 5% cultivated, negligible forested area, remainder desert, waste, or urban
WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 3 nm
Coastline: 161 km
PEOPLE
Population: 380,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 4.7%
Nationality: noun—Bahraini(s); adjective—Bahraini
Ethnic divisions: 63% Bahraini, 10% other Arab, 13% Asian, 8% Iranian, 6% other
Religion: Muslim, slightly more Shias than Sunnis
Language: Arabic, English also widely spoken
Literacy: about 40%
Labor force: 130,000 (1980 est.); 43% of labor force is Bahraini
GOVERNMENT
Official name: State of Bahrain
Type: traditional monarchy; independence declared in 1971
Capital: Manama
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law; constitution went into effect December 1973
National holiday: 16 December
Branches: Amir rules with help of a Cabinet led by Prime Minister; Amir dissolved the National Assembly in August 1975 and suspended the constitutional provision for election of the Assembly; independent judiciary
Government leader: Amir 'Isa bin Salman Al KHALIFA
Political parties and pressure groups: political parties prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia Fundamentalist groups are active
