Barbados

parliamentary democracyIndependence 30 November 1966 (from UK)

Barbados as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 94 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBridgetown

Position13 10 N, 59 32 W

Area430 sq km

LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North

Populationas each edition published it

259,025 people July 1998 est. · 262,688 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.09% 1998 est. · 0.18% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 33.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

74.79 years 1998 est. · 73.49 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.85 children per woman 1998 est. · 2.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

17.25 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 16 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$10,900 1997 est. · $7,000 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1997 est. · -4% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 430 sq km

arable land 37%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 5%forests and woodland 12%other 46% (1993 est.)

Area

430sq km

land: 430 sq kmwater: 0 sq km2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

97km

land boundaries: 0 kmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

336m

Mount Hillabylowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Location

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

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

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:: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: Biodiversity

People

15 fields

Population

259,025

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 0.09% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

14.92Death

8.21Net migration

-5.86

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)74.79

72.03 · 77.62

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)97.4%

98% · 96.8%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

Ethnic groups

black 80%white 4%other 16%

Religions(1980)

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 23% (male 30,592; female 29,747)
15-64 years:: 67% (male 84,725; female 87,730)
65 years and over:: 10% (male 9,926; female 16,305) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.61 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

17.25 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Barbadian(s)
adjective:: Barbadian

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996); Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994)

20 fields

Legislature, 28 seatsone dot, one seat

BLP 19DLP 8NDP 1

Country name

conventional long form:: none
conventional short form:: Barbados

Data code

Government type

parliamentary democracy

National 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (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 Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:: none;
the queen is a hereditary monarch;
governor general appointed by the queen;
prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:: House of Assembly-last held 6 September 1994 (next to be held by January 1999)
election results:: House of Assembly-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party - BLP 19, DLP 8, NDP 1

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON];
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR];
National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard HAYNES]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN];
People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Workers' Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE];
Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]

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, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Courtney N. BLACKMAN
chancery:: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 939-9200
consulate(s) general:: Coral Gables and New York
consulate(s):: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission Donald K. HOLM
embassy:: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address:: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone:: [1] (246) 436-4950

FAX

[1] (246) 429-5246

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)

Economy

Historically, the Barbadian economy had been | dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but | production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and | tourism.

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$2.8billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$10,900

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 0.8% (1996)

Inflation, consumer prices

2.4%

(1996)

GDP-composition by sector(1996 est.)

agriculture 7%industry 17%services 76% (1996 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$600 millionExpenditures

$645 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $80 million (FY96/97 est.)

Fixed lines

87,343

(1991 est.)

Economy-overview

Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The start of the Port Charles Marina project in Speightstown helped the tourism industry continue to expand in 1996-97.

The government continues its efforts to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.

Labor force

total:: 68,900 (1996)
by occupation:: services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate

16.2% (1996)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Electricity-capacity

140,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

591.5 million kWh (1996)

Electricity-consumption per capita

2,145 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Exports

total value:: $235 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities:: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
partners:: US 15%, UK 15%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 8%

Imports

total value:: $763 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
partners:: US 37%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, UK 10%, Japan 7%

Debt-external

$359 million (December 1996)

Economic aid

$NA

Currency

1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1-2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

Telephone system

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios

Television broadcast stations

2 (1 pay)

Televisions

69,350 (1993 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Merchant marine, 57 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 869,363 GRT/1,365,640 DWT

bulk 15cargo 30container 1combination bulk 4multifunction large-load carrier 1oil tanker 4refrigerated cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 1note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries: Canada owns 2 ships, Hong Kong 1 (1997 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

over 3,047 m

Networkskm

Highways

1,640Railways

Highways: paved: 1,573 km · unpaved: 67 km (1996 est.)