A Barbados Briefing
Barbados is a coral island, pushed out of sea by volcanic activity in a far away time. On the West Coast of Barbados, coral shore beaches of fine white sand stretch along a blue-green sea. Coral reefs fringe the Barbados shoreline to provide excellent snorkeling and Scuba Diving. Along the East Coast a lively surf is blown briskly by the strong and constant trade winds and the waves pound against a rocky shore. The constant breeze of the trade winds give Barbados a mild and pleasant tropical climate.
Barbados is mostly a flat coral island with excellent beaches, but there are rolling hills and many deep ridges and gullies, with an interesting distribution of flora and fauna. Within the Barbados coral core there is a vast array of caves and underground lakes which provide an excellent supply of drinking water that is amongst the purest in the world. Geologically Barbados is unique, being actually two land masses that merged together over the years. This and other anomalies make Barbados quite phenomenal, and there are geological structures that you will find only in Barbados.
Barbados Expectation
Barbados is a very beautiful island, with lots of art, activities, night life, music, history and some of the best restaurants to be found anywhere. But what makes Barbados even more special, and the reason why so many visitors keep returning to the island year after year, is the people. Barbadians, called Bajans, are warm and friendly souls, always ready to greet you with a sincere smile. Barbadians make you feel welcome and special, in this lovely Caribbean Island. You'll feel its your home and you will want to come back again and again.
Barbados Top of Page
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 Top of Page
Location:
Caribbean, island in 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
People Barbados Top of Page
Population:
277,264 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.2% (male 29,621; female 29,207)
15-64 years: 70% (male 94,840; female 99,230)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,355; female 15,011) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.3 years
male: 32.2 years
female: 34.4 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
0.38% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
13.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.72 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 14.39 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.84 years
male: 69.56 years
female: 74.14 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2003 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 Barbados Top of Page
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; 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]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, 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)
Economy Barbados Top of Page
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, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002 mainly due to a 3% decline in tourism. Growth should be positive in 2003, the precise level largely dependent on economic conditions in the US and Europe.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2002 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):
-0.6% (2002 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:
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 - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.254 million bbl (January 2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
70.79 million cu m (January 2002 est.)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Exports:
$227 million (2002)
Exports - commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners:
Caribbean Community 43.2%, US 15.3%, UK 13.2%, Canada 2.0% (2000)
Imports:
$987 million (2002)
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:
$692 million (2002)
Economic aid - recipient:
$9.1 million (1995)
Currency:
Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency code:
BBD
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999), 2 (1998)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Barbados Top of Page
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)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
6,000 (2000)
Transportation Barbados Top of Page
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: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 284,222 GRT/439,810 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, The Bahamas 1, Canada 4, Germany 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 7, Norway 7, UK 18 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 22, combination bulk 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2
Airports:
1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Military Barbados Top of Page
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force (including Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 77,862 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 53,282 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%
Transnational Issues Barbados Top of Page
Disputes - international:
none
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 1 August, 2003
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