Map of Barbados | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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. In the 1990s tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.


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Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total area total: 430 km²
Land: 430 km²
Comparative: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

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

Geography
Note: easternmost Caribbean island


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Population: 256,395 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 0.24% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Barbadian(s)
Adjective: Barbadian

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
0-14 years: 24% (female 30,175; male 31,507)
15-64 years: 66% (female 86,103; male 82,727)
65 years and over: 10% (female 15,849; male 10,034) (July 1995 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.45 births/1000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.82 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 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
Current issues natural hazards: hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic landslides
Current issues international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 19.2 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.16 years
Male: 71.47 years
Female: 77.06 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (1995 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 has 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: none
Conventional short form: Barbados

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 Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate: consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly: election last held 6 September 1994 (next to be held by January 1999); results - percentage vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) DLP 8, BLP 19, NDP 1

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, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Courtney BLACKMAN
In the us chancery: 2,144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 939-9,218, 9,219
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-7,467
In the us consulates general: Miami and New York
In the us consulates: Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
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 telephone: [1] (809) 436-4,950
From the us FAX: [1] (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 $9,200 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 sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. A moderate recovery that began in late 1993 after 3 years of contraction is mainly due to increased tourism and expansion in the construction sector. Economic prospects for 1995 depend mostly on continued growth in the industrialized countries, especially in Europe, which would spur further expansion in tourism.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $9,200 (1994 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

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (FY93/94 est.), accounts for about 10% of GDP

Labor force: 124,800 (1992)
By occupation services and government: 41%
By occupation commerce: 15%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 18%
By occupation transportation storage communications andfinancialinstitutions: 8%
By occupation agriculture: 6%
By occupation utilities: 2% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20.5% (1994 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $509 million
Expenditures: $636 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY94/95 est.)

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: $161 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
Partners: US 13%, UK 10%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 8%

Imports: $703 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
Commodoties: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Partners: US 36%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 3%

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: 510 million kWh
Production consumption per capita: 1,841 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 89,000 telephones
Local: island wide automatic telephone system;
Intercity: NA
International: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA, NA% of GDP

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
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 61,563 GRT/103,632 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 6, oil tanker 2

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for the US and Europe