1989 Edition

Agriculture

accounts for about 50% of GDP and 74% of both employment and exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products — jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $3.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $9.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $1.5 billion

Budget

revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7 billion (FY89)

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 km

Comparative area

slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Currency

taka (plural— taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise

Electricity

1,700,000 kW capacity; 4,900 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)

Environment

subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)

Exchange rates

taka (Tk) per US$1— 32.270 (January 1990), 32.270(1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)

Exports

$1.3 billion (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities — jute, tea, leather, shrimp, manufacturing; partners — US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%, Eastern Europe 7%

Extended economic zone

200 nm

External debt

$10.4 billion (December 1989)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

GDP

$20.6 billion, per capita $180; real growth rate 2.1% (FY89 est.)

Imports

$3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities — food, petroleum and other energy, nonfood consumer goods, semiprocessed goods, and capital equipment; partners— Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%

Industrial production

growth rate 5.4% (FY89 est.)

Industries

jute manufacturing, food processing, cotton textiles, petroleum, urea fertilizer

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8-10% (FY89 est.)

Land boundaries

none

Land use

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

Natural resources

crude oil, fishing, natural gas

Note

easternmost Caribbean island

Terrain

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

Total area

430 km2; land area: 430 km2

Total area

population growth of 2.8% a year and a limited infrastructure, and it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP averaged about 3.8% annually during 1985-88. One of the poorest nations in the world, alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development strategy. The agricultural sector contributes over 50% to GDP and 75% to exports, and employs over 74% of the labor force. Industry accounts for about 10% of GDP.

Unemployment rate

30% (FY88 est.)

Birth rate

18 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

8 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

80% African, 16% mixed, 4% European

Infant mortality rate

16 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

1 12,300; 37% services and government; 22% commerce, 22% manufacturing and construction; 9% transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions; 8% agriculture; 2% utilities (1985 est.)

Language

English

Life expectancy at birth

73 years male, 77 years female (1990)

Literacy

'

Nationality

noun — Barbadian(s); adjective— Barbadian

Net migration rate

— 5 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

32% of labor force

Population

262,688 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)

Religion

70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other, including Moravian

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

1 1 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note — there may a new city of Bridgetown

Capital

Bridgetown

Communists

negligible

Constitution

30 November 1966

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Sir William DOUGLAS; Chancery at 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-9200 through 9202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a Consulate in Los Angeles; US — Ambassadornominee G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing address is P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown or FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 436-4950 through 4957

Elections

House of Assembly — last held 28 May 1986 (next to be held by May 1991); results— DLP 59.4%, BLP 40.6%; seats— (27 total) DLP 24, BLP 3; note — a split in the DLP in February 1989 resulted in the formation of the NDP, changing the status of seats to DLP 20, NDP 4, BLP 3

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister. Cabinet

Flag

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, 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)

Independence

30 November 1 966 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Judicature

Leaders

Chief of State— Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February 1984); Head of Government — Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987) Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine Sandiford; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry Forde; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie Haynes

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Long-form name

none

Member of

ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, IDB— Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Other political or pressure groups

Industrial and General Workers Union, Bobby Clarke; People's Progressive Movement, Eric Sealy; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George Belle

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

parliamentary democracy

Agriculture

accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops — vegetables and cotton; not selfsufficient in food

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $14 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $144 million

Budget

revenues $476 million; expenditures $543 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (FY86)

Currency

Barbadian dollars (plural — dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

Electricity

132,000 kW capacity; 460 million kWh produced, 1,780 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1— 2.01 13 (fixed rate)

Exports

$173 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— sugar and molasses, electrical components, clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment; partners: US 30%, CARICOM, UK, Puerto Rico, Canada

External debt

$635 million (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April-3 1 March

GDP

$1.3 billion, per capita $5,250 (1988 est.); real growth rate 3.7% (1989 est.)

Imports

$582 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities— foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, crude oil; partners — US 34%, CARICOM, Japan, UK, Canada

Industrial production

growth rate —5.4% (1987 est.)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.7% (1988)

Overview

A per capita income of $5,250 gives Barbados the highest standard of living of all the small island states of the eastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of foreign exchange. A high unemployment rate of about 19% in 1988 remains one of the most serious economic problems facing the country.

Unemployment

18.6% (1988)

Airports

16 total, 13 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces — Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police Military manpower males 15-49, 28,110,802; 16,686,644 fit for military service

Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force

Defense expenditures

1.5% of GDP, or $309 million (FY90 est.) North Atlantic Ocean 5fcm Caribbean Sea Stf regional nup III The Crane

0.6% of GDP (1986) Bassas da India (French possession)

Highways

7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved

1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth

Inland waterways

5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)

Merchant marine

47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 331,568 GRT/493,935 DWT; includes 38 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 3 bulk

2 cargo ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 3,200 GRT/7,338 DWT Civil air 2 major transport aircraft

Military manpower

males 15-49, 67,677; 47,566 fit for military service, no conscription

Pipelines

650 km natural gas Civil air 1 5 major transport aircraft

Ports

Chittagong, Chalna

Bridgetown

Railroads

2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter broad gauge

Telecommunications

adequate international radio communications and landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast service; 182,000 telephones; stations — 9 AM, 6 FM, 1 1 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations Defense Forces

islandwide automatic telephone system with 89,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; stations — 3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces