Administrative divisions/Military

  
File:. Distritos das Bahamas (rotuladas) pngThe districts of The Bahamas provide a system of local government everywhere except New Providence, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government. In 1996, the Bahamian Parliament passed "The Local Government Act" to facilitate the establishment of Family Island Administrators, Local Government Districts, Local District Councillors, and Local Town Committees for the various island communities. The overall goal of this act is to allow the various elected leaders to govern and oversee the affairs of their respective districts without the interference of Central Government. In total, there are 32 districts, with elections being held every three years. There are also one hundred and ten Councillors and two hundred and eighty-one Town Committee members to correspond with the various districts.
Each Councillor or Town Committee member is responsible for the proper use of public funds for the maintenance and development of their constituency.
The districts other than New Providence are:
1.     Acklins
2.     Berry Islands
3.     Bimini
4.     Black PointExuma
5.     Cat Island
6.     Central Abaco
7.     Central Andros
8.     Central Eleuthera
12.  Exuma
13.  Grand CayAbaco
15.  Hope TownAbaco
16.  Inagua
19.  Mayaguana
25.  Rum Cay
32.  Green Turtle Cay (not shown on map on the right)

Military
The Bahamas does not have an army or an air force. Its military is composed of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), the navy of The Bahamas. Under The Defence Act, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been mandated to defend The Bahamas, protect its territorial integrity, patrol its waters, provide assistance and relief in times of disaster, maintain order in conjunction with the law enforcement agencies of The Bahamas, and carry out any such duties as determined by the National Security Council. The Defence Force is also a member of Caricom's Regional Security Task Force.