Barbados

Internet country code

.bb

Internet hosts

204 (2003)

Internet users

100,000 (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

Telephones - main lines in use

134,000 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

140,000 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Budget

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

Currency

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code

BBD

Debt - external

$668 million (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$9.1 million (1995)

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 should be positive in 2004, the precise level largely dependent on economic conditions in the US and Europe.

Electricity - consumption

725.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

780 million kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999)

Exports

$206 million (2002)

Exports - commodities

sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners

US 18.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, UK 14%, Jamaica 7.8%, Saint Lucia 6.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.7% (2003)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.355 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $15,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.2% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

Imports

$1.039 billion (2002)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners

US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.6%, UK 6.2%, Japan 4.4% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force

128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

70.79 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA

Unemployment rate

10.7% (2003 est.)

Area

total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 km

Elevation extremes

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

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

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Geography - note

easternmost Caribbean island

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2001)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

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

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 339-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles

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 6 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

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)

Government type

parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Independence

30 November 1966 (from UK)

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

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 COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military branches

Royal Barbados Defense Force (Troops Command and Coast Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 77,714 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 53,127 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 21% (male 29,294; female 29,020) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 95,675; female 99,864) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,370; female 15,066) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

12.98 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

9.08 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,500 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.64 years male: 69.51 years female: 73.81 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

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

Median age

total: 33.7 years male: 32.6 years female: 34.9 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Net migration rate

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

278,289 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

0.36% (2004 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

Barbados intends to take its claim before UNCLOS arbitration that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under 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

Airports

1 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Highways

total: 1,793 km paved: 1,719 km unpaved: 74 km (1999)

Merchant marine

total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 5, Greece 7, Hong Kong 7, Italy 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 9, United Kingdom 10 registered in other countries: 3 (2004 est.)

Ports and harbors

Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)