Map of Barbados | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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. Tourism and manufacturing are gaining in economic importance.


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Location: Caribbean, in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea, about 375 km northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 430 km²
Land: 430 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 97 km

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

Natural resources: petroleum, fishing, natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 77%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 9%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 14%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October; periodic landslides

Geography
Note: easternmost Caribbean island


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Population: 255,827 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.21% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Barbadian(s)

Ethnic groups: African 80%, European 4%, other 16%

Languages: English

Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.21% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 15.63 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 8.4 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.16 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 20.3 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.83 years
Male: 71.11 years
Female: 76.76 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form:

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Bridgetown

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 new city of Bridgetown may be given parish status

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Nita BARROW (since 6 June 1990)
Head of government: Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Philip Marlowe GREAVES (since 2 June 1987)

Legislative branch: Royal Barbados Defense Force, including the Ground Forces and Coast Guard, Royal Barbados Police Force
Senate: consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly: election last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996); results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
From the us chancery: 2,144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: (809) 436-4,950
From the us consulates general: New York
From the us consulates: Los Angeles
From the us embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34,055
From the us fax: (809) 429-5,246

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, 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)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: A per capita income of $8,700 gives Barbados one of the highest standards of living of all the small island states of the eastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of sugar cane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of foreign exchange. The economy slowed in 1990-92 as Bridgetown's difficulty in financing its deficits caused it to exert control over domestic demands

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -3% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $8,700 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 6% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops - vegetables, cotton; not self-sufficient in food

Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: -1.3% (1991; accounts for 10% of GDP

Labor force: 120,900 (1991)
By occupation services and government: 37%
By occupation commerce: 22%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 22%
By occupation transportation storage communications andfinancialinstitutions: 9%
By occupation agriculture: 8%
By occupation utilities: 2% (1985est.)

Unemployment rate: 23% (1992)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$547 million

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $158 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
Partners: US 13%, UK 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 7.8%

Imports: $465 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Partners: US 33%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 5%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $652 million (1991 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)


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Electricity
Capacity: 152,100 kW
Production: 540 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 2,118 kWh (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1
Usable: 1
With permanentsurface runways: 1
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 0

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 2 oil tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,466 GRT/76,219 DWT

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs