World Countries Info 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 of Barbados
|
Location:
|
Caribbean, island in the
North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
13 10 N, 59 32 W |
|
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: 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
|
Population of Barbados
|
Population:
|
278,289 (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 21% (male 29,294; female
29,020)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 95,675; female 99,864)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,370; female 15,066) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 33.7 years
male: 32.6 years
female: 34.9 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.36% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
12.98 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
9.08 deaths/1,000 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 10.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.64 years
male: 69.51 years
female: 73.81 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
1.2% - note: no country specific models
provided (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
1,800 (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
250 (2001 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.)
|
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 Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003)
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 (30 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - BLP 23, DLP 7 |
|
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 [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] |
Economy
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 should be
positive in 2004, the precise level largely dependent on economic conditions in the US
and Europe.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $4.496 billion
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
-0.6% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $16,200 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2001 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
-0.5% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
128,500 (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10%
(1996 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
10.7% (2003 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:
|
780 million kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
725.4 million kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
1.254 million bbl (1 January 2002) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
29.17 million cu m (2001 est.) |
|
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 - proved reserves:
|
70.79 million cu m (1 January 2002) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton |
|
Exports:
|
$206 million (2002) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and
beverages, chemicals, electrical components |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US 14.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 12%, UK
10.8%, Jamaica 6.2%, Saint Lucia 4.6% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$1.039 billion (2002) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs,
construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components |
|
Imports - partners:
|
US 41.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 17%, UK 7.4%,
Japan 4.2% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$668 million (2003) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$9.1 million (1995) |
|
Currency:
|
Barbadian dollar (BBD) |
|
Currency code:
|
BBD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2003),
2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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