| Bahamas |  |  | | Basic facts | | | The country | |
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| | Capital: Nassau | | Area: 13,939 sq km; 5,382 sq miles | | Population: 297,852 | | Urbanisation: Urban 88 per cent; Rural 13 per cent | |
Economy
| Exports: Pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, salt, crayfish, refined petroleum products
| Industry: Tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and shipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe
| Agriculture: Principal products: citrus fruit, vegetables, sugar cane, crayfish, poultry
| Currency: 1 Bahamian dollar (B$), consisting of 100 cents
| Natural resources: Salt, aragonite, timber
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The people
| Ethnic: Black 85 per cent, White 12 per cent, Hispanic, Asian and others 3 per cent
| Language: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants). English and some Creole are spoken.
| Religion: Baptist 32 per cent, Anglican 20 per cent, Roman Catholic 19 per cent, Methodist 6 per cent, Church of God 6 per cent, Other Protestant 12 per cent, None or unknown 3 per cent, Other 2 per cent. The main religious groups are Christian, including Baptists, Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Methodists.
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The history
| Independence: 10 July 1973(from the United Kingdom)
| Government: Type of Government: Constitutional monarchy. In 1964 the United Kingdom granted the Bahamas internal autonomy and independence was achieved in July 1973.
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