Wayzata World Factbook 1994/World Factbook - 1994 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1994).iso/pc/text/txtfiles/barbados.bkg

Text File | 1994-04-17 | 15KB | 376 lines

#CARD:Barbados:Background Notes
BACKGROUND NOTES:  BARBADOS, JANUARY 1993
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
JANUARY 1993
J
ê(⌠p
Official Name:  Barbados
J
ê(⌠p
PROFILE
J
ê(⌠p
Geography
Area:  431 sq. km. (166 sq. mi.); about three times the size of
Washington, DC.  Cities:  Capital--Bridgetown.  Terrain:  Flat, rising to
a ridge in the center.  Climate:  Tropical.
J
ê(⌠p
People
Nationality:  Noun and adjective--Barbadian(s); also "Bajan(s)".
Population (1992):  259,300.  Avg. annual growth rate:  0.2%.  Ethnic
groups:  African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%.  Religions:  Anglican
70%, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Moravian.  Language:
English.  Education:  Attendance--primary school 100%, secondary
school 93%.  Adult literacy--99%.  Health (1992):  Infant mortality rate-
-9/1,000.  Life expectancy--73 yrs. men, 75 yrs. women.  Work force
(124,800, 1992):  Commerce and tourism--25%.  Government--23%.
Manufacturing--11%.  Agriculture & fishing--6%.
J
ê(⌠p
Government
Type:  Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the
Commonwealth.  Independence:  November 30, 1966.  Constitution:
1966.
J
ê(⌠p
Branches:  Executive--governor general (representing Queen Elizabeth
II, head of state), prime minister (head of government), cabinet.
Legislative--bicameral parliament.  Judicial--magistrate's courts,
Supreme Court (High Court and Court of Appeals), privy council.
J
ê(⌠p
Subdivisions:  11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown.
J
ê(⌠p
Political parties:  Democratic Labor Party (incumbent), Barbados Labor
Party (official opposition), National Democratic Party (opposition).
J
ê(⌠p
Defense:  About 2.5% of budget.
J
ê(⌠p
Flag:  Three vertical bands (blue, yellow, blue) with a broken trident in
the center.
J
ê(⌠p
Economy
GDP (1992):  $1.7 billion.  Real GDP growth rate:  -4%.  Per capita
GDP:  $6,500.  Average inflation rate:  6.1%.  Unemployment rate
(1992):  23%.
J
ê(⌠p
Natural resources:  Petroleum, limestone.
J
ê(⌠p
Agriculture (8% of GDP):  Sugar accounts for 3.4% of GDP and 80%
of arable land.
J
ê(⌠p
Industry (10% of GDP):  Manufacturing--food, beverages, textiles,
paper, chemicals, fabricated products.
J
ê(⌠p
Trade:  Exports--$194 million.  Major markets--CARICOM 31%, UK
17%, US 13%.  Imports--$704 million.  Major suppliers--US 34%,
European Economic Community 19% (UK accounts for 11% of all
suppliers), CARICOM 16%, Japan 3%.
J
ê(⌠p
Official exchange rate:  US$1=BDS$2.  (###)
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
PEOPLE
J
ê(⌠p
Barbados' population is about 80% African, 4% European, and 16%
mixed.  About 70% of Barbadians are Anglican, and the rest mostly
Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Moravian.  There are also
small Jewish and Muslim communities.  Barbados' population growth
rate has been very low--under 1% since the 1960s, largely through
family planning efforts and a high emigration rate.
J
ê(⌠p
HISTORY
J
ê(⌠p
British sailors who landed on Barbados at the site of present-day
Holetown in 1624 or 1625 found it uninhabited.  Arawak Indians may
have been native to the island but were later annihilated, apparently by
marauding Caribs, who are believed to have subsequently abandoned
the island.  From the arrival of the first British settlers in 1627-28 until
independence in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted British
control.  Nevertheless, Barbados always enjoyed a large measure of
local autonomy.  Its House of Assembly, which began meeting in 1639,
is the third oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere--preceded
only by Bermuda's legislature and the Virginia House of Burgesses.
J
ê(⌠p
As the sugar industry developed into the main commercial enterprise,
Barbados was divided into large plantation estates.  To work these
plantations, slaves were brought from Africa, until the slave trade
ceased a few years before the abolition of slavery throughout the British
Empire in 1834.
J
ê(⌠p
Local politics were dominated by a group of British plantation owners
and merchants.  It was not until the 1930s that a movement for political
rights was begun by the descendants of emancipated slaves.  One of the
leaders of this movement, Sir Grantley Adams, founded the Barbados
Labor Party in 1938.
J
ê(⌠p
Progress toward more democratic government for Barbados was made
in 1951, when universal adult suffrage was introduced.  This was
followed by steps toward increased self-government, and in 1961,
Barbados achieved internal autonomy.
J
ê(⌠p
From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of 10 members of the West
Indies Federation, and Sir Grantley Adams served as its first and only
prime minister.  When the federation was terminated, Barbados reverted
to its former status as a self-governing colony.  Following several
attempts to form another federation composed of Barbados and the
Leeward and Windward Islands, Barbados negotiated its own
independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom in
June 1966.  After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados
became an independent state within the British Commonwealth on
November 30, 1966.
J
ê(⌠p
GOVERNMENT
J
ê(⌠p
Under its constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled
on the British system.  The governor general represents the British
crown.  Control of the government rests with the cabinet, headed by the
prime minister, which is responsible to the parliament.
J
ê(⌠p
The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Assembly and
Senate.  The 28 members of the House are elected by universal suffrage
to 5-year terms.  Elections may be called at any time it wishes to seek a
new mandate or if the government suffers a vote of no confidence in
parliament.  The Senate's 21 members are appointed by the governor
general--12 with the advice of the prime minister, 2 with the advice of
the leader of the opposition, and 7 at the governor general's discretion.
J
ê(⌠p
Barbados has an independent judiciary composed of magistrate courts,
which are statutorily authorized and a Supreme Court, which is
constitutionally mandated.  The Supreme Court consists of the high
court and the court of appeals, each with four judges.  The Chief Justice
serves on both the high court and the court of appeals.  The court of last
resort is the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty's Privy Council, whose
decisions are binding on all parties.  Judges of the Supreme Court are
appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime
minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition.
J
ê(⌠p
The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown.  There
is no local government--all divisions are administered by the central
government.
J
ê(⌠p
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
J
ê(⌠p
The main political parties of Barbados have traditionally been the
Barbados Labor Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).  In
1989, finance minister Dr. Richie Haynes resigned from the governing
party along with three fellow DLP parliamentarians.  They formed a
new political party--the National Democratic Party (NDP).  In the 1991
general elections, Erskine Sandiford and the DLP retained power,
winning 18 of 28 seats in the House of Assembly.  The NDP failed to
win any seats.
J
ê(⌠p
The three political parties--BLP, DLP, and NDP--are all moderate and
have no real ideological differences.  As such, electoral contests and
political disputes often have personal overtones.  The major political
problems facing Barbados today are promoting economic growth,
reestablishing an healthy balance-of-payments, encouraging agricultural
diversification, attracting small industry, and promoting tourism.
J
ê(⌠p
Principal Government Officials
J
ê(⌠p
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Dame Nita Barrow
Prime Minister--Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Ambassador to the US and the OAS--Dr. Rudi Webster
Ambassador to the UN--Besley Maycock
J
ê(⌠p
Barbados maintains an embassy in the United States located at 2144
Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20008, tel. [phone],
and a Consulate General in New York at 800 2nd Avenue, 18th floor,
New York, NY 10017, tel. [phone].
J
ê(⌠p
ECONOMY
J
ê(⌠p
The Barbadian economy is currently experiencing its most difficult post-
independence challenge, with GDP declining 4% in 1991 and 4% in
1992.  Fundamental macroeconomic imbalances began to emerge in the
economy during the 1980s as Barbados' external competitiveness
weakened due to policies that maintained high real exchange rates, high
domestic costs, and a trade regime biased in favor of import
substitution.  As a consequence, exports declined, the trade deficit
soared ($493 million in 1990), and investment contracted.  Sugar
continued its slide, and tourism, long the most dynamic sector of the
economy, declined.  The fiscal deficit, adversely affected by the decline
in economic activity, was further aggravated by a rapid escalation of
government expenditure in 1990.  The fiscal deficit combined with a
high external debt load and falling exports to reduce foreign exchange
reserves drastically.  By 1991, the key performance indicators--fiscal
deficit, foreign exchange reserves, and central bank lending to the
government--were at crisis levels, forcing the government to go to the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) for relief.  The government has
undertaken an IMF-sponsored structural adjustment program intended to
reverse the internal and external imbalances by implementing measures
to increase taxes, cut public expenditures, and curb private demand
through higher interest rates and restrictive credit.
J
ê(⌠p
Traditionally, sugar was Barbados' largest industry, but in recent years
tourism and light industry have overtaken it in importance both as
foreign exchange earners and as employers.  Barbados' topographical
features and climate are ideally suited for tourism.  The infrastructure
and services that support tourism (road transportation network,
international airport, communications, health services, and banking
services) are among the best in the Caribbean.  While tourism accounted
for 11% of GDP in 1990, its importance is even greater if its links to
other sectors of the economy are considered.  Nevertheless, tourism has
softened over the last 2 years due to stiffer Caribbean competition from
other islands, and international political and economic events.  In 1992,
there were 385,470 stayover visitors (116,000 from the US) from the
previous year.
J
ê(⌠p
Although annual sugar production sometimes exceeded 180,000 metric
tons during the postwar period, it had dropped to a record low of
54,000 metric tons by 1992.  Efforts to diversify agricultural production
have had limited success because sugar receives high government
subsidies and over 80% of the arable land is controlled by sugar
interests.
J
ê(⌠p
Manufacturing had become a significant sector of the economy by the
mid-1980s, but has since declined, accounting for about the same level
of GDP (8%) in 1990 as in 1960.
J
ê(⌠p
FOREIGN RELATIONS
J
ê(⌠p
As a small nation, the primary thrust of Barbados' diplomatic activity
has been within international organizations.  The island is a member of
the Commonwealth and participates in all Commonwealth activities.
Barbados was admitted to the United Nations in December 1966.
Wishing to participate fully in the inter-American system, it joined the
Organization of American States (OAS) in 1967.
J
ê(⌠p
On July 4, 1973, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and
Jamaica signed a treaty in Trinidad to found Caribbean Community and
Common Market (CARICOM).  In May 1974, most of the remaining
English-speaking Caribbean states joined CARICOM, which now has
13 members.  Barbados is also a member of the Caribbean Development
Bank, established in 1970 with headquarters in Bridgetown.
J
ê(⌠p
Barbados has diplomatic missions headed by resident ambassadors or
high commissioners in Canada, European Economic Community
(Brussels), UN, UK, US, and Venezuela.  It also has resident Consuls
General in Toronto and New York.  Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Costa
Rica, China, UK, US, and Venezuela have ambassadors or high
commissioners resident in Barbados.
J
ê(⌠p
US-BARBADIAN RELATIONS
J
ê(⌠p
In 1751, George Washington visited Barbados, making what is believed
to have been his only trip abroad.  The US Government has been
represented on Barbados since 1824.  The United States supports
Barbados' efforts to achieve economic growth and social betterment.  It
seeks Barbados' understanding of US policies and support for US
objectives in international organizations.  As a relatively high-income
country, Barbados receives only limited economic assistance from the
United States.  The US supports economic development programs
regionally which benefit Barbados and encourages participation fully in
the Caribbean Basin and Enterprise for the Americas initiatives.  The
CARICOM Nations, of which Barbados is one, have signed a
framework agreement with the United States to promote trade and
investment under the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative.
J
ê(⌠p
Principal US Officials
J
ê(⌠p
Ambassador--G. Philip Hughes
Deputy Chief of Mission--Tain P. Tompkins
Political/Economic Counselor--Thomas R. Hutson
Consul General--Thomas E. Cairns
Regional Labor Attaches--Raymond Brown
Public Affairs Officer--Gerald Waters
Director, United States Agency for International Development--Mosina
Jordan
J
ê(⌠p
The US Embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank
of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel. [phone]).
(###)
J
ê(⌠p
Travel Notes
Visas, duty, and currency:  US citizens do not require passports and
visas, but must present proof of citizenship (usually an original birth
certificate and photo I.D.).
J
ê(⌠p
Health:  Medical and sanitation facilities and supplies are good.
Travelers should check latest information.  (###)
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public
Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC --
January 1993 -- Managing Editor:  Peter A. Knecht -- Editor:  Josephine
C> Brooks
J
ê(⌠p
Department of State Publication 8242
Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and
may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated.
J
ê(⌠p
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC  20402.  (###)
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p
J
ê(⌠p

#ENDCARD