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
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
total: 0.09 cu km/yr
(33%/44%/22%) per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
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: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
total: 35.4 years
male: 34.2 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.36% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
12.48 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
8.58 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63
male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.05
deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.21
years male: 71.2 years female: 75.24 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.65 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,500 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 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: 99.7%
male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Government
Barbados
Country name:
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time
difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes and 1 city*;
Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint
John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip,
Saint Thomas
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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
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 David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister elections: 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 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on
the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition
leader, and 7 at his discretion) 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 15 January 2008 (next
to be called in 2013) election results: House of Assembly -
percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20,
BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature
(judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and
Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP
[Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's
Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers'
Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert
GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or
CTUSAB, which includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU [Leroy TROTMAN];
Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union
[David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami,
New York consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey
Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael mailing address: P. O. Box
302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246)
436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
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
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian
economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities.
However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry
and tourism, with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being
attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by
increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its
success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest
per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which
benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore
finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners
and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers
and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its
efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment,
and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.
manufactures, sugar and
molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners:
US 27.6%, Trinidad and Tobago
15%, UK 10.2%, Saint Lucia 7%, Jamaica 6.5%, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 4.3% (2006)
Imports:
$1.586 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery,
foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners:
US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago
22.6%, UK 5.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$2.07 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$620 million (2007)
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$5.513 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency code:
BBD
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars per US dollar
- NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
206,200 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular
telephone density of 75 per 100 persons domestic: island-wide
automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246;
landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine
cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending
from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1
(Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint
Lucia (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 2 cable channels)
(2004)
Televisions:
76,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
104 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
160,000 (2005)
Transportation
Barbados
Airports:
1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 over
3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,600 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 71 ships (1000
GRT or over) 539,579 GRT/793,899 DWT by type: bulk carrier 13,
cargo 39, chemical tanker 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum
tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 67 (Bahamas, The 1, Barbados 9, Greece 11, India
1, Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 35, Sweden 5, UK 3) registered in
other countries: 1 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
Military
Barbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force:
Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary
military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription
(2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 75,265
females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,556
females age 16-49: 58,143 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.5% (2006 est.)
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense
Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the
primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external
aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a
small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it
increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent
smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)
Transnational Issues
Barbados
Disputes - international:
in April 2006, the Permanent
Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary
with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing
agreement limiting Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in
Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and
Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under
UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and
Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; joins other
Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains
human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf
over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean
transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore
financial center
