Edition 2003 — Barbados — World Factbook

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 21.2% (male 29,621; female 29,207) 15-64 years: 70% (male 94,840; female 99,230) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,355; female 15,011) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Airports

1 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) Military Barbados
total: 1

Area

land: 431 sq km
total: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Background

The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Geography Barbados

Birth rate

13.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $847 million (including grants)

Capital

Bridgetown

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Coastline

97 km

Constitution

30 November 1966

Country name

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados

Currency

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code

BBD

Death rate

9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$692 million (2002)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Earl N. PHILLIPS, Jr.
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
consulate(s): Los Angeles
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Disputes - international

none

Economic aid - recipient

$9.1 million (1995)

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. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners, and there is also a light-manufacturing sector. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002 mainly due to a 3% decline in tourism. Growth should be positive in 2003, the precise level largely dependent on economic conditions in the US and Europe.

Electricity - consumption

725.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

780 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity

Ethnic groups

black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999), 2 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003)

Exports

$227 million (2002)

Exports - commodities

sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners

US 14.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 12%, UK 10.6%, Jamaica 6.2%, Saint Lucia 4.7% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 332-7467; [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 339-9201

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Barbados

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 Barbados

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.153 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-2.8% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Geography - note

easternmost Caribbean island People Barbados

Government type

parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Highways

paved: 1,719 km
total: 1,793 km
unpaved: 74 km (1999)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.2% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

250 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,800 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Illicit drugs

one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$987 million (2002)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners

US 41.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 17%, UK 7.3%, Japan 4.2% (2002)

Independence

30 November 1966 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Industries

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Infant mortality rate

female: 11.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 14.39 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 12.72 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.6% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Internet country code

.bb

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

19 (2000)

Internet users

6,000 (2000) Transportation Barbados

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)

Labor force

128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 37.21%
other: 60.46% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 2.33%

Languages

English

Legal system

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 74.14 years (2003 est.)
male: 69.56 years
total population: 71.84 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
female: 96.8% (1995 est.) Government Barbados
male: 98%
total population: 97.4%

Location

Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Median age

female: 34.4 years (2002)
male: 32.2 years
total: 33.3 years

Merchant marine

convenience: Australia 1, The Bahamas 1, Canada 4, Germany 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 7, Norway 7, UK 18 (2002 est.)
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 22, combination bulk 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2
total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 284,222 GRT/439,810 DWT

Military branches

Royal Barbados Defense Force (including Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA% Transnational Issues Barbados

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 77,862 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 53,282 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Nationality

adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

Natural gas - consumption

29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

29.17 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

70.79 million cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Net migration rate

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.254 million bbl (37257)

Political parties and leaders

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Clyde Mascoll]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]

Population

277,264 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.38% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

237,000 (1997)

Railways