from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Barbados
Introduction
Background: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the
British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations
established on the island until 1834 when slavery was
abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on
sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the
20th century. The gradual introduction of social and
political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to
complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the
1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar
industry in economic importance.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean,
northeast of Venezuela
Geographic 13 10 N, 59 32 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 97 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland
region
Elevation lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural petroleum, fish, natural gas
resources:
Land use: arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated 50 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
hazards:
Environment - pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by
current ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal
issues: threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - easternmost Caribbean island
note:
People
Population: 279,912 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 28,160/female 28,039)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 97,755/female 101,223)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,508/female 15,227)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 34.6 years
male: 33.4 years
female: 35.6 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.37% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 12.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 13.38 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 72.79 years
expectancy at male: 70.79 years
birth: female: 74.82 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 1.5% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 2,500 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 200 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups: black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist
7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George,
divisions: 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 Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
holiday:
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford
Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR
(since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia
MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003)
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; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed
prime minister by the governor general; the prime
minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member
branch: body appointed by the governor general) and the House
of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003
(next to be held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7
Judicial Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by
branch: the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal
Services)
Political Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic
parties and Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]
leaders:
Political Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne
pressure Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive
groups and Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr.
leaders: George BELLE]
International ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO,
organization ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
participation: IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
representation chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
in the US: telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN
representation embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building,
from the US: Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO
Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014,
APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
Flag three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold,
description: 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
Economy - Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent
overview: on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but
production in recent years has diversified into light
industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information
services are important foreign exchange earners. The
government continues its efforts to reduce
unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment,
and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The
economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline
in tourism. Growth was positive in 2005, as economic
conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.
GDP $4.815 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $2.964 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 4.1% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $17,300 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 6%
composition by industry: 16%
sector: services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 10%
by occupation: industry: 15%
services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment 10.7% (2003 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate -0.5% (2003 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Agriculture - sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
products:
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
for export
Industrial -3.2% (2000 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 819 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 761.7 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 1,000 bbl/day (2003)
production:
Oil - 10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 29.17 million cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 141.6 million cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Exports: $209 million (2004 est.)
Exports - sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages,
commodities: chemicals, electrical components
Exports - US 18.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 12.1%, Saint
partners: Lucia 8.4%, Jamaica 7.9%, Grenada 4.6%, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 4.6% (2005)
Imports: $1.476 billion (2004 est.)
Imports - consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction
commodities: materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - NZ 45.9%, US 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12% (2005)
partners:
Debt - $668 million (2003)
external:
Economic aid - $9.1 million (1995)
recipient:
Currency Barbadian dollar (BBD)
(code):
Currency code: BBD
Exchange Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2
rates: (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones - 134,900 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 206,200 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth
stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric
scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Radio AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 237,000 (1997)
Television 1 (plus two cable channels) (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 76,000 (1997)
Internet .bb
country code:
Internet 282 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 19 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 160,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,600 km (2003)
Merchant total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 433,390 GRT/664,998
marine: DWT
by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 32, chemical tanker 7,
passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3,
roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 57 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 8, Greece 11,
Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 29, UAE 1, UK 5)
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 1) (2006)
Ports and Bridgetown
terminals:
Military
Military Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Coast
branches: Guard (2005)
Military 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
service age volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no
and conscription (2001)
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 71,524
available for females age 18-49: 72,302 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 54,510
for military females age 18-49: 54,889 (2005 est.)
service:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based
note: Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role
of the land element is to defend the island against
external aggression; the Command consists of a single,
part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is
deployed throughout the island; it increasingly
supports the police in patrolling the coastline to
prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to
international: compulsory international arbitration that will result
in a binding award challenging whether the northern
limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime
boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern
limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other
Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves
Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which
permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf
over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for
narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore
financial center