1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Coastline
97 km
Comparative area
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Environment
subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 77%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and woodland 0%; other 14%
Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
crude oil, fishing, natural gas
Note
easternmost Caribbean island
Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Total area
430 km2; land area: 430 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
16 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%
Infant mortality rate
23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
112,300; services and government 37%; commerce 22%; manufacturing and construction 22%; transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 9%; agriculture 8%; utilities 2% (1985 est.)
Language
English
Life expectancy at birth
70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Literacy
99% (male 99%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
Nationality
noun--Barbadian(s); adjective--Barbadian
Net migration rate
- 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
32% of labor force
Population
254,626 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
Religion
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%; none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Total fertility rate
1.8 children born/woman (1991)
Government
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--there may be 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--Ambassador 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 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996); results--DLP 49.8%; seats--(28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
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 1966 (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)
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, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Other political or pressure groups
Industrial and General Workers Union, Sir Frank WALCOTT; People's Progressive Movement, Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry FORDE; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
parliamentary democracy
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops--vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues $501 million; expenditures $484 million, including capital expenditures of $113 million (FY91)
Currency
Barbadian dollars (plural--dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $169 million
Electricity
132,000 kW capacity; 494 million kWh produced, 1,880 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1--2.0113 (fixed rate)
Exports
$165 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--sugar and molasses, chemicals, electrical components, clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment; partners: CARICOM 30%, US 20%, UK 20%
External debt
$550 million (June 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$1.7 billion, per capita $6,500; real growth rate 3.6% (1989 est.)
Imports
$701 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, machinery, crude oil, construction materials, chemicals; partners--US 35%, CARICOM 13%, UK 12%, Japan 6%, Canada 8%, Venezuela 4%
Industrial production
growth rate - 1.5% (1989); accounts for 14 % of GDP
Industries
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
6.2% (1989)
Overview
A per capita income of $6,500 gives Barbados one of the highest standards 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. An unemployment rate of 18% remains one of the most serious economic problems facing the country.
Unemployment
18% (1990)
Communications
Airports
1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth
Merchant marine
2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200 GRT/7,338 DWT
Ports
Bridgetown
Telecommunications
islandwide automatic telephone system with 89,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and Saint Lucia; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Barbados Defense Force, Coast Guard, Royal Barbados Police Force
Defense expenditures
$10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 69,038; 48,455 fit for military service, no conscription