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.

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

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

Geography
Note: easternmost Caribbean island

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)

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.)

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.)

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

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.)

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

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

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 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

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)

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 growth rate: 3% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $9,200 (1994 est.)

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.)

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

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

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%

Debt external: $652 million (1991 est.)

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

Electricity
Capacity: 152,100 kW
Production: 510 million kWh
Production consumption per capita: 1,841 kWh (1993)

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

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

Airports: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1

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

Disputes international: none

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