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(Opposite) A cruise ship prepares to enter Nassau harbor. Tourism is a major part of the Bahamas’ economy, and employs approximately half of the country’s workforce. (Right) A fish market at the docks of Potter’s Cay near downtown Nassau. 3

A Tourism-Driven Economy

THE ECONOMY OF THE Bahamas is driven primarily by tourism, but it is supplemented by banking, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing. The ille- gal smuggling of cocaine, from Colombia into the United States via the Bahamas, also pumps millions of dollars into the Bahamian economy. The Bahamian economy is small when compared to other countries. In 2014 the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) —the total value of goods and services produced annually in the country—was about $11.4 billion, which is less than many American states. But Bahamians enjoy a relatively high standard of living, especially when compared with many of their Caribbean neighbors. For example, the average working-class Bahamian earns five times more than a college-educated teacher in Jamaica. In the

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