1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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
Disputes
none
Environment
subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
430 km2
Land boundaries
none
Land use
arable land 77%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and woodland 0%; other 14%
Natural resources
crude oil, fishing, natural gas
Note
easternmost Caribbean island
Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
430 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%
Infant mortality rate
22 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
120,900 (1991); services and government 37%; commerce 22%; manufacturing and construction 22%; transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 9%; agriculture 8%; utilities 2% (1985 est.)
Languages
English
Life expectancy at birth
70 years male, 76 years female (1992)
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 (1992)
Organized labor
32% of labor force
Population
254,934 (July 1992), growth rate 0.1% (1992)
Religions
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 (1992)
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
Chief of State
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Nita BARROW (since 6 June 1990)
Constitution
30 November 1966
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Dr. Rudi WEBSTER; 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, Box B, FPO AA 34054); telephone (809) 436-4950 through 4957; FAX (809) 429-5246
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)
Head of Government
Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987)
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
Independence
30 November 1966 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Judicature
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 $514 million; expenditures $615 million (FY91-92)
Currency
Barbadian dollars (plural - dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $171 million
Electricity
152,100 kW capacity; 539 million kWh produced, 2,117 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
Exports
$210.6 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: sugar and molasses, chemicals, electrical components, clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment partners: CARICOM 30%, US 20%, UK 20%
External debt
$539.9 million (1990)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $1.7 billion, per capita $6,500; real growth rate--3.1% (1990)
Imports
$704 million (c.i.f., 1990) 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--2.7% (1990); accounts for 14% of GDP
Industries
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.4% (1990)
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. The economy slowed in 1990-91, however, and Bridgetown's declining hard currency reserves and inability to finance its deficits have caused it to adopt an austere economic reform program.
Unemployment rate
18% (1991)
Communications
Airports
1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Civil air
no 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; broadcast 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
exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 69,678; 48,803 fit for military service, no conscription