BAHAMAS CHRISTIAN DATING
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People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bahamian(s).
Population (2002): 310,000.
Annual growth rate (2002): 0.77%.
Ethnic groups: African 85%, European 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%.
Christian singles note-Religions: Baptist predominant (32%), Roman Catholic, Anglican, Evangelical Protestants, Methodist, Church of God.
Language: English; some Creole among Haitian groups.
Education: Years compulsory--through age 16. Attendance--95%. Literacy--93%.
Health (2001): Infant mortality rate--17.0/1,000. Life expectancy--71.9 years.
Work force (2000): 157,640; majority employed in the tourism, government, and financial services sectors.

Government
Type: Constitutional parliamentary democracy.
Independence: July 10, 1973.
Branches: Executive--British monarch (nominal head of state), governor general (representative of the British monarch), prime minister (head of government), and cabinet. Legislative--bicameral Parliament (40-member elected House of Assembly, 16-member appointed Senate). Judicial--Privy Council in U.K., Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, and magistrates' courts.
Political parties: Free National Movement (FNM), Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Coalition for Democratic Reform (CDR).
Suffrage (2000): Universal over 18; 140,000 registered voters.

Economy
GDP (2002): $5.2 billion.
Growth rate (2002): 0.1%.
Per capita GDP (2002): $17,000.
Natural resources: Salt, aragonite, timber.
Agriculture and fisheries (2000; 3% of GDP): Products--vegetables, lobster, fish.
Tourism (2000): 60% of GDP.
Banking (2002): 15% of GDP.
Manufacturing (2000; 3% of GDP): Products--pharmaceuticals, rum.
Trade (2000): Exports ($766.1 million)--salt, aragonite, chemicals, lobster, fruits, vegetables. Major markets--U.S. (50%), U.K., other EU countries, Canada. Imports ($2.28 billion)--foodstuffs and manufactured goods; vehicles and automobile parts; hotel, restaurant, and medical supplies; computers and electronics. Major suppliers--U.S. (70%), U.K., other EU countries, Canada.
Note: Bahamas' export statistics do not include oil transshipments or the large transactions from the PFC Bahamas (formerly Syntex) pharmaceutical plant located in the Freeport free trade zone. 

PEOPLE 
Christian singles note-Eighty-five percent of the Bahamian population is of African heritage. About two-thirds of the population reside on New Providence Island (the location of Nassau). Many ancestors arrived in the Bahama Islands when the islands served as a staging area for the slave trade in the early 1800s. Others accompanied thousands of British loyalists who fled the American colonies during the Revolutionary War.

School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. The government fully operates 158 of the 210 primary and secondary schools in The Bahamas. The other 52 schools are privately operated. Enrollment for state and private primary and secondary schools amounts to more than 66,000 students. The College of The Bahamas, established in Nassau in 1974, provides programs leading to bachelors and associates degrees. Several non-Bahamian colleges also offer higher education programs in The Bahamas.