ion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $345 million

_#_Currency: Bahamian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar
(B$) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.00 (fixed rate)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications
_#_Highways: 2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel

_#_Ports: Freeport, Nassau

_#_Merchant marine: 636 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,266,066
GRT/23,585,465 DWT; includes 42 passenger, 16 short-sea passenger, 190
cargo, 41 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 23 container, 5 car carrier,
1 railroad carrier, 141 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8
liquefied gas, 15 combination ore/oil, 33 chemical tanker, 1 specialized
tanker, 112 bulk, 8 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience
registry

_#_Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 59 total, 57 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: highly developed; 99,000 telephones in totally
automatic system; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to
Florida; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (a coast guard element only),
Royal Bahamas Police Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 68,020; NA fit for military
service

_#_Defense expenditures: $65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)
_%_
_@_Bahrain
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 620 km2; land area: 620 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of
Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 161 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: not specific;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

_#_Disputes: territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands

_#_Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

_#_Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment

_#_Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
fish

_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
6%; forest and woodland 0%; other 90%, includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted
(requires development of desalination facilities); dust storms;
desertification

_#_Note: close to primary M