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 Match 24   DB Rec# - 7,476  Dataset-WOFACT



Title         :Barbados 
Text          : 
                                    Barbados 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 
    northeast of Venezuela 
Map references: 
    Central America and the Caribbean 
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 
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 sq km 
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; signed, but not ratified - 
    Biodiversity 
Note: 
    easternmost Caribbean island 


 
                                     People 
 
Population: 
    256,395 (July 1995 est.) 
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/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    8.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    -4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Infant mortality rate: 
    19.2 deaths/1,000 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.) 
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 (1970) 
  total population: 
    99% 
  male: 
    99% 
  female: 
    99% 
Labor force: 
    124,800 (1992) 
  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: 
    BB 
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 
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, 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 
 
                                   Government 
Diplomatic representation in US: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador Courtney BLACKMAN 
  chancery: 
    2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 
  telephone: 
    [1] (202) 939-9218, 9219 
  FAX: 
    [1] (202) 332-7467 
  consulate(s) general: 
    Miami and New York 
  consulate(s): 
    Los Angeles 
US diplomatic representation: 
  chief of mission: 
    Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE 
  embassy: 
    Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown 
  mailing address: 
    P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055 
  telephone: 
    [1] (809) 436-4950 
  FAX: 
    [1] (809) 429-5246 
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: 
    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. 
National product: 
    GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.4 billion (1994 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    3% (1994 est.) 
National product per capita: 
    $9,200 (1994 est.) 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 
    2% (1994 est.) 
Unemployment rate: 
    20.5% (1994 est.) 
Budget: 
  revenues: 
    $509 million 


  expenditures: 
    $636 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY94/95 est.) 
Exports: 
    $161 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) 
  commodities: 
    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.) 
  commodities: 
    consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, 
    fuel, electrical components 
  partners: 
    US 36%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 3% 
External debt: 
    $652 million (1991 est.) 
Industrial production: 
    growth rate 2% (FY93/94 est.); accounts for about 10% 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% 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 US 
    and Europe 
 
                                     Economy 
Economic aid: 
  recipient: 
    US 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: 
    1,570 km 
  paved: 
    1,475 km 
  unpaved: 
    gravel, earth 95 km 
Ports: 


    Bridgetown 
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 
Airports: 
  total: 
    1 
  with paved runways over 3,047 m: 
    1 
 
                                 Communications 
 
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 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    NA 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    2 (1 pay) 
  televisions: 
    NA 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes the Ground Forces and Coast Guard), 
    Royal Barbados Police Force 
Manpower availability: 
    males age 15-49 71,153; males fit for military service 49,488 (1995 est.) 
Defense expenditures: 
    exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996