Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor Prime minister: Perry Christie
Population
10,781,459
316,182
Life Expectancy
78.700 years
71.440 years
Capital City
Lisbon
Nassau
Largest city
Lisbon (population: 517,802)
Nassau (population: 227,940)
Human Development Index
0.9
NA
GDP per capita
$23,700 US
$31,400 US
Literacy Rate
93.3%
95.6%
Corruption Perception Index
6.1
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
28.3%
NA
Wealthiest Citizens
Americo Amorim ($3.3bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
12.700%
14.200%
Death Penalty
Abolished
NA
Political System
republic; parliamentary democracy
constitutional parliamentary democracy
Independence date
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
10 July 1973 (from UK)
Religions
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)
Languages
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Exports
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables
External Debt
$548,300,000,000 $
$342,600,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2008 est.), 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.300%
0.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
0
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Area
92,090 km sq
13,880 km sq
Coastline
1,793 km
3,542 km
Climate
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
