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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  

LAND
596 km$2$ 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  14