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Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean
Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: 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
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%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity
Geography—note: easternmost Caribbean
island
Population: 259,191 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 30,132; female 29,359)
15-64 years: 67% (male 85,437; female 88,131)
65 years and over: 10% (male 9,862; female 16,270)
(1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 14.46 births/1,000 population
(1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999
est.)
Net migration rate: -5.86 migrant(s)/1,000
population (1999 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
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999
est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.74 deaths/1,000
live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.98 years
male: 72.22 years
female: 77.81 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman
(1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s)
adjective: Barbadian
Ethnic groups: black 80%, white 4%, other
16%
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: 97.4%
male: 98%
female: 96.8% (1995 est.)
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Data code: BB
Government 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 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 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 monarch is hereditary monarch;
governor general appointed by the monarch; 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
20 January 1999 (next to be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly—percent
of vote by party—NA; seats by party—BLP 26,
DLP 2
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 (Florida),
Miami, and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador E. William CROTTY
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—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 1996-98.
Offshore finance and informatics are important foreign
exchange earners, and there is also a light manufacturing
sector. The government continues its efforts to reduce
the unacceptably high unemployment rate, encourage direct
foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned
enterprises.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$2.9 billion
(1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$11,200
(1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 15%
services: 79% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1997)
Labor force: 136,000 (1998 est.)
Labor force—by occupation: services 75%,
industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $126.3 million (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing,
component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1996)
Electricity—production: 600 million kWh
(1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 600 million
kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: sugarcane, vegetables,
cotton
Exports: $280 million (1997)
Exports—commodities: sugar and molasses,
rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical
components, clothing
Exports—partners: Caricom 34.8%, US 18.4%,
UK 16.6%, Canada 4.4% (1996)
Imports: $982 million (1997)
Imports—commodities: consumer goods,
machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals,
fuel, electrical components
Imports—partners: US 40.5%, Caricom 14.7%,
UK 8.4%, Canada 5% (1996)
Debt—external: $581.4 million (1996)
Economic aid—recipient: $9.1 million
(1995)
Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100
cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per
US$1—2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
Telephones: 87,343 (1991 est.)
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 2, FM 3, shortwave
0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (in addition,
there are two cable channels) (1997)
Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,650 km
paved: 1,582 km
unpaved: 68 km (1998 est.)
Ports and harbors: Bridgetown, Speightstown
(Port Charles Marina)
Merchant marine:
total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
641,550 GRT/1,087,042 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 26, combination
bulk 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 1
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes
ships of 2 countries: Canada owns 2 ships, Hong Kong
1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense
Force (includes Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal
Barbados Police Force
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 72,111 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 49,600 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure:
$NA
Military expenditures—percent of GDP:
NA%
Disputes—international: none
Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment
points for narcotics bound for the US and Europe
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
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