Edition 2005 — 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: 20.6% (male 28,813/female 28,634) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 96,590/female 100,622) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,432/female 15,163) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Airports

1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) Military Barbados

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

12.83 births/1,000 population (2005 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 (code)

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code

BBD

Death rate

9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$668 million (2003)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
consulate(s): Los Angeles
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200

Disputes - international

in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea

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 light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive in 2004, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.

Electricity - consumption

744 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

800 million kWh (2002)

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: Biodiversity, 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: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000)

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 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003)

Exports

$206 million (2002)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 20.6%, UK 14.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.9%, Saint Lucia 6.9%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% (2004)

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 - composition by sector

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

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $16,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.3% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.569 billion (2004 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: 1,578 km
total: 1,600 km
unpaved: 22 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,500 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 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 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$1.039 billion (2002)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 35.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 20%, UK 5.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)

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: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
male: 14.14 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.5% (2003 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.bb

Internet hosts

204 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

19 (2000)

Internet users

100,000 (2003) 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

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

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 37.21%
other: 60.46% (2001)
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: 74.6 years (2005 est.)
male: 70.6 years
total population: 72.59 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
female: 99.7% (2002 est.) Government Barbados
male: 99.7%
total population: 99.7%

Location

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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 71,330 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 51,298 (2005 est.)

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Median age

female: 35.28 years (2005 est.)
male: 32.99 years
total: 34.15 years

Merchant marine

by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 31, chemical tanker 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 53 (Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 12, Greece 11, Lebanon 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 17, UAE 1, United Kingdom 7)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
total: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT

Military - note

the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005) Transnational Issues Barbados

Military branches

Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001)

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 (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Net migration rate

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

279,254 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Population growth rate

0.33% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors