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Barbados travel guide

Barbados - General Country Information

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Introduction

General Information: Barbados

The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown.

Major cities of Barbados are:
Bridgetown.

Geography

Location:	Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Coordinates:	13 10 N, 59 32 W
Area:	total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area Comparative:	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	97 km
Maritime Claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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% (2001)
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: Biodiversity, 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: none of the selected agreements
Note:	easternmost Caribbean island

People

Population:	278,289 (July 2004 est.)
Age Structure:	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 population (2004 est.)
Death Rate:	9.08 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Migration Rate:	-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate:	total: 12.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Expectancy Birth:	total population: 71.64 years male: 69.51 years female: 73.81 years (2004 est.)
Fertility Rate:	1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV Adult Prevalence Rate:	1.5% (2003 est.)
People Living HIV:	2,500 (2003 est.)
HIV 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: 97.4% male: 98% female: 96.8% (1995 est.)

Gouvernment

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 Leaders:	Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Clyde Mascoll]
Political Pressure Groups 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, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic in US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 339-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic from US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER 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, 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

Economy Overview:	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 - $4.355 billion (2003 est.)
GDP Growth Rate:	2.2% (2003 est.)
GDP Capital:	purchasing power parity - $15,700 (2003 est.)
GDP Composition:	agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)
Household Income:	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation Rate:	-0.5% (2003 est.)
Labor Force:	128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor Force Occupation:	agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment Rate:	10.7% (2003 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
Agriculture Products:	sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:	tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industry Production Growth Rate:	-3.2% (2000 est.)
Electricity Production:	780 million kWh (2001)
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 (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)
Exports:	$206 million (2002)
Exports Commodities:	sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports Partners:	US 18.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, UK 14%, Jamaica 7.8%, Saint Lucia 6.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.7% (2003)
Imports:	$1.039 billion (2002)
Imports Commodities:	consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports Partners:	US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.6%, UK 6.2%, Japan 4.4% (2003)
Debt External:	$668 million (2003)
Currency:	Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Currency Code:	BBD
Exchange Rates:	Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999)
Fiscal Year:	1 April - 31 March

Communications

Telephones Lines Use:	134,000 (2003)
Mobile Cellular:	140,000 (2003)
Telephone System:	general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Radio Stations:	AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television Stations:	1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)
Internet Code:	.bb
Internet Hosts:	204 (2003)
Internet Users:	100,000 (2003)

Transportation

Highways:	total: 1,793 km paved: 1,719 km unpaved: 74 km (1999)
Waterways:	general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Ports Harbors:	Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)
Merchant Marine:	total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT by type: bulk 11, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 3, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 5, Greece 7, Hong Kong 7, Italy 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 9, United Kingdom 10 registered in other countries: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports:	1 (2003 est.)
Airports Paved Runways:	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military

Military Branches:	Royal Barbados Defense Force (Troops Command and Coast Guard)
Military Age Obligation:	18 years of age for voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with parental consent; no conscription (2001)
Military Availability:	males age 15-49: 77,714 (2004 est.)
Fit Military Service:	males age 15-49: 53,127 (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes International:	Barbados intends to take its claim before UNCLOS arbitration that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit Drugs:	one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center