Barbados




                                 Geography


Location:
     Caribbean, in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea, about 375 km
     northeast of Venezuela
Map references:
     Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     430 sq km
land area:
     430 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly less than 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
International disputes:
     none
Climate:
     tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
     relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources:
     petroleum, fishing, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
     77%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     9%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     14%
Irrigated land:
     NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
     pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
     erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
     aquifers
natural hazards:
     subject to hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic
     landslides




international agreements:
     party to - Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
     signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity
Note:
     easternmost Caribbean island


                                  People


Population:
     255,827 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     0.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     15.63 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     8.4 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -5.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     73.83 years
male:
     71.11 years
female:
     76.76 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     1.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Barbadian(s)
adjective:
     Barbadian
Ethnic divisions:
     African 80%, European 4%, other 16%
Religions:
     Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
     12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Languages:
     English
Literacy:
     age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
total population:
     99%
male:
     99%
female:
     99%
Labor force:
     120,900 (1991)
by occupation:
     services and government 37%, commerce 22%, manufacturing and
     construction 22%, transportation, storage, communications, and
     financial institutions 9%, agriculture 8%, utilities 2% (1985 est.)






                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     none
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     BB
Type:
     parliamentary democracy
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 new 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 Dame Nita BARROW (since 6 June 1990)
head of government:
     Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987); Deputy
     Prime Minister Philip Marlowe GREAVES (since 2 June 1987)
cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
     minister
Legislative branch:
     bicameral Parliament
Senate:
     consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly:
     election last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996);
     results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court of Judicature
Political parties and leaders:
     Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD; Barbados Labor Party
     (BLP), Owen ARTHUR; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES




Other political or pressure groups:
     Barbados Workers Union, Leroy TROTMAN; People's Progressive Movement,
     Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE; Clement
     Payne Labor Union, David COMMISSIONG
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
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Dr. Rudi Valentine WEBSTER
chancery:
     2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 939-9200 through 9202
consulate(s) general:
     New York
consulate(s):
     Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
embassy:
     Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address:
     P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone:
     (809) 436-4950
FAX:
     (809) 429-5246
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)


                                  Economy


Overview:
     A per capita income of $8,700 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
     sugar cane 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 1990-92 as
     Bridgetown's difficulty in financing its deficits caused it to exert
     control over domestic demands
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     -3% (1992)
National product per capita:
     $8,700 (1993 est.)




Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     6.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
     23% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:
     $547 million
expenditures:
     $620 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92-93)
Exports:
     $158 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
     electrical components, clothing
partners:
     US 13%, UK 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 7.8%
Imports:
     $465 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
     electrical components
partners:
     US 33%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 5%
External debt:
     $652 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate -1.3% (1991); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     152,100 kW
production:
     540 million kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,118 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export,
     petroleum
Agriculture:
     accounts for 6% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops -
     vegetables, cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $171
     million
Currency:
     1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
     Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
     1 April - 31 March


                              Communications




Highways:
total:
     1,570 km
paved:
     1,475 km
unpaved:
     gravel, earth 95 km
Ports:
     Bridgetown
Merchant marine:
     2 oil tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,466 GRT/76,219 DWT
Airports:
total:
     1
usable:
     1
with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     0
Telecommunications:
     island wide 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


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Royal Barbados Defense Force, including the Ground Forces and Coast
     Guard, Royal Barbados Police Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 70,751; fit for military service 49,330
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)