Nassau.– A popular Web site has compiled a list of the 10 richest independent countries in the Caribbean, and as expected, The Bahamas came out on top.

Aneki.com, a well-known independent Canadian Web site which derives its information from numerous sources, including United Nations agencies and the United States' Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, ranked The Bahamas at number one with a $21,300 per capita gross domestic product (GDP).

Oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago was ranked as the second richest with a GDP of $19,700, a position which would usually have been held by Barbados, which ranks at number three with a GDP of $18,200.

Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Cuba and Grenada were among the 10 in descending order. An interesting observation which can be made about the list, however, is the rise of Trinidad and Tobago as a regional economic power.

That country is now the fifth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world. The expansion of Atlantic LNG over the next four years could create the largest-single sustained phase of economic growth in the twin-island republic. It has become the leading exporter of LNG to the United States, supplying approximately 70% of the market.

In 2006, unemployment fell to 5% down from 6.7% in 2005. Trinidad and Tobago's economic growth in 2006 reached a staggering 12.6% as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas remained high, and foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector.

According to the Department of Statistics, Bahamas' GDP grew by an estimated 4.2 per cent in current prices and 3.4 per cent in constant prices in 2006,

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

In the category of richest countries in the world, Luxembourg came in first with $68,800 per capita. Equatorial Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Ireland, United States, Andorra, Iceland, Denmark and Austria were in descending order on the list.

Aneki.com is an independent, privately operated website based in Montreal, Canada. It is dedicated to promoting wider knowledge of the world's countries and regions. The website serves as a comprehensive source of continental and world rankings in an increasing number of categories.