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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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 |
......
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