1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
430 km2; 60% cropped, 10% permanent meadows, 30% unused, built on, or wasteland WATER
Coastline
97 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
80% African, 17% mixed, 4% European
Labor force
106,000 (1979 est.) wage and salary earners; unemployment 11% (1979)
Language
English
Literacy
over 90%
Nationality
noun—Barbadian(s); adjective—Barbadian
Organized labor
32%
Population
252,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.5%
Religion
Anglican (70%), Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Moravian
Government
Branches
legislature consisting of a 21-member appointed Senate and a 27-member elected House of Assembly; Cabinet headed by Prime Minister
Capital
Bridgetown
Communists
negligible
Elections
House of Assembly members have terms no longer than five years; last general election held 18 June 1981 Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party (BLP), J. M. G. "Tom" Adams; Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Errol Barrow Voting strength (1981 election): Barbados Labor Party (BLP), 52.4%; Democratic Labor Party, 46.8%; Independent, negligible; House of Assembly seats—BLP 17, DLP 10
Government leaders
Prime Minister J. M. G. "Tom" ADAMS; Governor General Sir Deighton H. L. WARD
Legal system
English common law; constitution came into effect upon independence in 1966; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, 1CAO, IDB, 1FAD, 1FC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
30 November
Official name
Barbados
Other political or pressure groups
Movement for National Liberation (MONALI), a small leftist group led by Bobby Clarke
Political subdivisions
11 parishes and city of Bridgetown
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth since November 1966, recognizing Elizabeth II as Chief of State
Economy
Agriculture
main products—sugarcane, subsistence foods
Aid
economic—bilateral commitments including Ex-Im (FY70-80) from US, $9.3 million; (1970-79) ODA and OOF commitments from other Western countries, $52.1 million; no military aid
Budget
(1980) revenues, $223 million; expenditures, $270 million
Electric power
110,000 kW capacity (1981); 325 million kWh produced (1980), 1,265 kWh per capita
Exports
$207 million (f.o.b., 1980); sugar and sugarcane byproducts, electrical parts, clothing
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$811 million (1980), $3,257 per capita; real growth rate 1980, 5%
Imports
$424 million (c.i.f., 1979); foodstuffs, consumer durables, machinery, fuels
Major industries
tourism, sugar milling, light manufacturing
Major trade partners
exports—36% US, 27% CARICOM, UK; imports— 34% US, 18% CAR1COM, UK, Canada (1980)
Monetary conversion rate
2.01 Barbados dollars=US$1
Communications
Airfields
1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft (including 1 leased in)
Highways
1,546 km total; 1,450 km paved, and 96 km gravel, and earth
Ports
1 major (Bridgetown), 2 minor
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
islandwide automatic telephone system with 47,000 telephones (17.2 per 100 popl.); tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad; UHF/VHF links to St. Vincent and St. Lucia; 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, and 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 64,000; 45,000 fit for military service; no conscription