Barbados

§1. 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.

§2. Barbados Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:
  13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references:
  Central_America_and_the_Caribbean

Area:
  total: 431 km²
  land: 431 km²
  water: 0 km²

Area - comparative:
  2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  97 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
  tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain:
  relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources:
  petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use:
  arable land: 37.21%
  permanent crops: 2.33%
  other: 60.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  10 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Environment - current issues:
  pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion;
  illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
    Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
    Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
  easternmost Caribbean island

§3. Barbados 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 growth rate:
  0.37% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  12.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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 mortality rate:
  total: 11.77 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 13.38 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 10.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 72.79 years
  male: 70.79 years
  female: 74.82 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.65 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  2,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 200 (2003 est.)

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.)

§4. Barbados Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:
  parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the
  Commonwealth

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 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; accepts
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 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 branch:
  bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member 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 branch:
  Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
  Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)

Political parties and leaders:
  Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP
  [Clyde Mascoll]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David
  COMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of
  Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

International organization participation:
  ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
  IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM,
  OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
  chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
  FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
  consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
  consulate(s): Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER
  embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, 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 description:
  three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, 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)

§5. Barbados Economy

Economy - overview:
  Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent 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 (purchasing power parity):
  $4.841 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $2.977 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  2.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $17,400 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 6%
  industry: 16%
  services: 78% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  10.7% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  -0.5% (2003 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $847 million (including grants)
  expenditures: $886 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000
    est.)

Agriculture - products:
  sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries:
  tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate:
  -3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  819 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  761.7 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  1,000 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
  10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
  29.17 million m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  29.17 million m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  141.6 million m³ (1 January 2002)

Exports:
  $209 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical
  components

Exports - partners:
  US 20.6%, UK 14.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.9%, Saint Lucia 6.9%, Jamaica
  6.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% (2004)

Imports:
  $1.476 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals,
  fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners:
  US 35.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 20%, UK 5.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)

Debt - external:
  $668 million (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $9.1 million (1995)

Currency (code):
  Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Exchange rates:
  Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2
  (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Barbados Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  135,700 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  200,100 (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: NA
  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 broadcast stations:
  AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (plus two cable channels) (2004)

Internet country code:
  .bb

Internet hosts:
  241 (2005)

Internet users:
  150,000 (2005)

§7. Barbados Transportation

Airports:
  1 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1
  over 3,047 m: 1 (2005)

Roadways:
  total: 1,600 km
  paved: 1,600 km (2003)

Merchant marine:
  total: 57 ships (1000 GRT or over) 450,391 GRT/703,307 DWT
  by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 32, chemical tanker 6, passenger/cargo 1,
    petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 55 (The Bahamas 1, Canada 8, Greece 11, Lebanon 2, Monaco 1,
    Norway 24, UAE 1, UK 7)
  registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1)
    (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Bridgetown

§8. Barbados Military

Military branches:
  Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age
  with parental consent; no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 71,330 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 51,298 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  NA

Military - note:
  the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based 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)

§9. Barbados Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to 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


<Factbook 2006>
