From Wikitravel

This article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit it.

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.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates 

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references 

Central America and the Caribbean

Area 

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

Area - comparative 

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

97 km

Maritime claims 

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate 

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain 

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes 

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

Natural resources 

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use 

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

Irrigated land 

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

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

Geography - note 

easternmost Caribbean island

[edit] People

Population 

276,607 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 21.4% (male 29,888; female 29,338)
15-64 years: 69.8% (male 94,214; female 98,811)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,378; female 14,978) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.46% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

13.32 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

11.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 73.49 years
female: 76.12 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.9 years

Total fertility rate 

1.64 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

1.17% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

1,800 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

130 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

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

Ethnic groups 

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

Religions 

Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%

Languages 

English

Literacy 

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

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados

Government type 

parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Capital 

Bridgetown

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

Independence 

30 November 1966 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution 

30 November 1966

Legal system 

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
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

Legislative branch 

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next to be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2

Judicial branch 

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

Political parties and leaders 

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard HAYNES]

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]

International organization participation 

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

Diplomatic representation in the US 

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
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

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; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246

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)

[edit] Economy

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, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2001 due to slowdowns in tourism and consumer spending. Growth will remain anemic in 2002 with a recovery likely near the end of the year.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

-2% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

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

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

3.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force 

128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

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

Unemployment rate 

10% (2001 est.)

Budget 

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

Industries 

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate 

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production 

740 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

688.2 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Exports 

$272 million (2000)

Exports - commodities 

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

Exports - partners 

Caribbean Community 43.2%, US 15.3%, UK 13.2% (2000)

Imports 

$1.16 billion (2000)

Imports - commodities 

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

Imports - partners 

US 40.8%, Caribbean Community 19.8%, UK 8.1%, Japan 5.2%, Canada 4.2% (2000)

Debt - external 

$425 million

Economic aid - recipient 

$9.1 million (1995)

Currency 

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code 

BBD

Exchange rates 

Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

108,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

8,013 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios 

237,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)

Televisions 

76,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.bb

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

19 (2000)

Internet users 

6,000 (2000)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: 1,650 km
paved: 1,628 km
unpaved: 22 km (1998)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)

Merchant marine 

total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,987 GRT/1,073,991 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bahamas, The 1, Canada 4, Germany 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 7, Norway 7, United Kingdom 18 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 26, combination bulk 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 4

Airports 

1 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

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

[edit] Military

Military branches 

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

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 78,132 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 53,532 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

NA%

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center