|
| Background: |
The island was
uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Its
economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and
molasses production through most of the 20th century. In the
1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar
industry in economic importance. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island
between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
northeast of Venezuela |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
13 10 N, 59 32 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
2.5 times the
size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; rainy
season (June to October) |
| Terrain: |
relatively flat;
rises gently to central highland region |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, fish,
natural gas |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
37%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 46% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
infrequent
hurricanes; periodic landslides |
| Environment
- current issues: |
pollution of
coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion;
illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity |
| Geography
- note: |
easternmost
Caribbean island |
| Population: |
275,330 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
21.68% (male 30,122; female 29,572)
15-64 years: 69.44% (male 93,283; female
97,915)
65 years and over: 8.88% (male 9,432; female
15,006) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.46% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.47
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.53 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
12.04
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.25 years
male: 70.66 years
female: 75.86 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.64 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.17% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
1,800 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
130 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black 80%, white
4%, other 16% |
| Religions: |
Protestant 67%
(Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%),
Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.4%
male: 98%
female: 96.8% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy; independent sovereign state within the
Commonwealth |
| Administrative
divisions: |
11 parishes;
Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James,
Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint
Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of
Bridgetown may be given parish status |
| Independence: |
30 November 1966
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
30 November (1966) |
| Constitution: |
30 November 1966 |
| Legal
system: |
English common
law; no judicial review of legislative acts |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn
HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour
ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister
Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister
appointed by the governor general |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed
by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 20
January 1999 (next to be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of
Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions
for the Judicial and Legal Services) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Barbados Labor
Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP
[David THOMPSON]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard
HAYNES] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Barbados Workers
Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David
COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE] |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom,
CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Michael KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador James A. DALEY
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO
AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246 |
| Flag
description: |
three equal
vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the
head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the
trident head represents independence and a break with the
past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete
trident) |
| Economy
- overview: |
Historically, the
Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane
cultivation and related activities, but production in recent
years has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The
start of the Port Charles Marina project in Speightstown
helped the tourism industry continue to expand in 1996-2000.
Offshore finance and information services are important
foreign exchange earners, and there is also a light
manufacturing sector. The government continues its efforts
to reduce unemployment, encourage direct foreign investment,
and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. Growth
should remain steady in 2001, with new tourist facilities a
plus factor. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.8% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $14,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
4%
industry: 16%
services: 80% (1998) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
136,000 (1998
est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 75%,
industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
11% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$725.5 million
expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $126.3 million (FY97/98 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, sugar,
light manufacturing, component assembly for export |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
0.8% (1996) |
| Electricity
- production: |
718 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
667.7 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane,
vegetables, cotton |
| Exports: |
$260 million
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
sugar and
molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components, clothing |
| Exports
- partners: |
UK 14.8%, US
11.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.6%, Venezuela 6.1%, Jamaica
5.8% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$800.3 million
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
consumer goods,
machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals,
fuel, electrical components |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 30.7%,
Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Japan 8.3%, UK 7.7%, Canada 2.2%
(1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$425 million
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$9.1 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Barbadian dollar
(BBD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Barbadian dollars
per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
108,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
8,013 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone
system
international: satellite earth stations - 4
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad
and Saint Lucia |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 3,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (plus two cable
channels) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
76,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.bb |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
19 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
6,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
1,600 km
paved: 1,578 km
unpaved: 22 km (1998) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bridgetown,
Speightstown (Port Charles Marina) |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 671,545 GRT/1,125,635
DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 28, combination
bulk 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo
1, roll on/roll off 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Hong
Kong 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Barbados
Defense Force (includes Ground Forces and Coast Guard),
Royal Barbados Police Force |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 78,069 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 53,576 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
one of many
Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for
Europe and the US |
|
