Barbados

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Total area: 430 sq km
Land area: 430 sq km
Comparative area: 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

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain

Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

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

Environment

Current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic landslides
International agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes

Note: Easternmost Caribbean island

PEOPLE

Population

257,030 (July 1996 est.)
256,395 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

24% (male 31,263; female 29,822) (July 1996 est.)
24% (male 31,507; female 30,175) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

66% (male 83,565; female 86,697) (July 1996 est.)
66% (male 82,727; female 86,103) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

10% (male 9,929; female 15,754) (July 1996 est.)
10% (male 10,034; female 15,849) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.26% (1996 est.)
0.24% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

15.29 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
15.45 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.21 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-4.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 74.35 years (1996 est.); 74.16 years (1995 est.)
Male: 71.65 years (1996 est.); 71.47 years (1995 est.)
Female: 77.25 years (1996 est.); 77.06 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.78 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.78 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Barbadian(s)
Adjective: Barbadian

Ethnic Divisions

African 80%
European 4%
Other 16%

Religions

Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%
Pentecostal 8%
Methodist 7%
Other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%
None 17%
Unknown 3%
Other 9% (1980)

Languages

English

Literacy

Age 15 and over has ever attended school (1995 est.)

Total population: 97.4%
Male: 98%
Female: 96.8%

Labor Force

126,000 (1993)

By occupation:

Services and government 41%
Commerce 15%
Manufacturing and construction 18%
Transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 8%
Agriculture 6%
Utilities 2% (1992 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Barbados

Digraph

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 U.K.)

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) is a hereditary monarch, represented by Acting Governor General Denys WILLIAMS (since 21 December 1995) who was appointed by the queen
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, judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Service

Political Parties and Leaders

Democratic Labor Party (DLP),David THOMPSON; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Owen ARTHUR; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richard HAYNES

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Barbados Workers Union, Leroy TROTMAN; People's Progressive Movement, Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE; Clement Payne Labor Union, David COMMISSIONG

Member of

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, 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, UNMIH, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

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

Historically, the Barbadian economy has been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but in recent years the production has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. Sluggish performances in the sugar and tourism sectors - which declined by 25% and 8% respectively - tempered economic expansion in 1995; output increased by 2% for the year, down from nearly 4% in 1994. Improved weather conditions in 1995 are expected to boost agriculture output in 1996. Since taking office in 1994, Prime Minister ARTHUR has aggressively moved to promote foreign direct investment as part of a policy designed to reduce nagging unemployment. The government has also been active in promoting regional integration initiatives.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1995 est.); $2.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

2% (1995 est.)
3% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$9,800 (1995 est.)
$9,200 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

1.7% (1995 est.)
2% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

19.9% (September 1995)
20.5% (1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues: $550 million (FY95/96); $509 million (FY94/95)
Expenditures: $710 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY95/96 est.); $636 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY94/95 est.)

Exports

$158.6 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$161 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Sugar and molasses
Rum
Other foods and beverages
Chemicals
Electrical components
Clothing

Partners:

U.S. 13%
U.K. 10%
Trinidad and Tobago 9%
Windward Islands 8%

Imports

$693 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$703 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.)

Commodities:

Consumer goods
Machinery
Foodstuffs
Construction materials
Chemicals
Fuel
Electrical components

Partners:

U.S. 36%
U.K. 11%
Trinidad and Tobago 11%
Japan 3%

External Debt

$408 million (1995 est.)
$652 million (1991 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 5% (1995 est.); 2% (FY93/94 est.); accounts for about 39.3% of GDP

Electricity

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

Industries

Tourism
Sugar
Light manufacturing
Component assembly for export

Agriculture

Accounts for 6.4% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops - vegetables, cotton; not self-sufficient in food

Illicit Drugs

One of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for the U.S. and Europe

Economic Aid

Recipient: U.S. commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $171 million

Currency

1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

Exchange Rates

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

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 1,550 km
Paved: 1,550 km

Ports

Bridgetown

Merchant Marine

Total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 183,937 GRT/271,707 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 21, combination bulk 3, oil tanker 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Airports

Total: 1
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 1

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

87,343 telephones (1991 est.)

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

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
Radios: NA

Television

Broadcast stations: 2 (1 pay)
Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes the Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 71,667; males fit for military service 49,726 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - NA

History
World Atlas

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