General Information

Geography The Bahamas is an archipelago of about 700 islands and 2,400 uninhabited islets and cays lying 50 mi off the east coast of Florida. They extend for about 760 mi (1,223 km). Only about 30 of the islands are inhabited. The most important is New Providence (80 sq mi; 207 sq km), on which the capital, Nassau, is situated. Other islands include Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island, and San Salvador (or Watling's Island).

Government
Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)
Governor-General: Arthur Dion Hanna (2006)
Prime Minister: Hubert Ingraham (2007)

Other Information
*Population (2007 est.): 305,655 (growth rate: 0.6%)

*Money: Bahamian dollar

*Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe.

*Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber, and arable land.

National Symbols
Flag colors: Gold , Black, Aqua Marine
National Fish:Blue Marlin
National Bird:Flamingo
National Flower: Yellow Elder
National Tree: Lignum Vitae