Barbados

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

domestic: island wide automatic telephone system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

Telephones

87,343 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1 pay)

Televisions

69,350 (1993 est.) Defense

Agriculture

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Budget

revenues: $550 million expenditures: $710 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY95/96 est.)

Currency

1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

$NA

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity: 152,100 kW production: 510 million kWh consumption per capita: 1,841 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

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

Exports

$158.6 million (f.o.b., 1995 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%

External debt

$408 million (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture: 6.4% industry: 39.3% services: 54.3% (1994)

GDP per capita

$9,800 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

2% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

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

Imports

$693 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.) commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components partners: US 36%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 3%

Industrial production growth rate

5% (1995 est.)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.7% (1995 est.)

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.)

Unemployment rate

19.9% (September 1995)

Area

total area: 430 sq km land area: 430 sq km comparative area: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 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, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Geographic note

easternmost Caribbean island

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 77% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 9% forest and woodland: 0% other: 14%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Terrain

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

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

Capital

Bridgetown

Constitution

30 November 1966

Data code

BB

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Courtney N. BLACKMAN chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9218, 9219

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) was appointed by the governor general; Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994) cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

FAX

[1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles

FAX

[1] (809) 429-5246

Flag

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)

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) BLP 19, DLP 8,NDP 1

Independence

30 November 1966 (from UK)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Judicature, judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Service

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Name of country

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

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

Political parties and leaders

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

Senate

consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

parliamentary democracy

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 24% (male 31,263; female 29,822) 15-64 years: 66% (male 83,565; female 86,697) 65 years and over: 10% (male 9,929; female 15,754) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Ethnic divisions

African 80%, European 4%, other 16%

Infant mortality rate

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

Languages

English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.35 years male: 71.65 years female: 77.25 years (1996 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over has ever attended school (1995 est.) total population: 97.4% male: 98% female: 96.8%

Nationality

noun: Barbadian(s) adjective: Barbadian

Net migration rate

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

Population

257,030 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.26% (1996 est.)

Religions

Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.78 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Airports

total: 1 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 (1995 est.)

Highways

total: 1,550 km paved: 1,550 km

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.)

Ports

Bridgetown

Railways

0 km