Barbados (2008)

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Barbados 2008 year


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
Age structure	0-14 years: 19.7% (male 27,659/female 27,573) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 98,633/female 102,020) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 9,662/female 15,399) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Airports	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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.
Birth rate	12.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Capital	name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Coastline	97 km
Constitution	30 November 1966
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados
Death rate	8.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$668 million (2003)
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
Diplomatic representation in the US	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
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
Economic aid - recipient	$2.07 million (2005)
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 nearly 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.
Electricity - consumption	886.3 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	953 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
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
Ethnic groups	black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Exchange rates	Barbadian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
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: 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
Exports	0 kWh (2005)
Exports	$385 million (2006)
Exports	0 cu m (2005 est.)
Exports	1,666 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	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)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March
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)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	13 10 N, 59 32 W
Geography - note	easternmost Caribbean island
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
Imports	0 kWh (2005)
Imports	$1.586 billion (2006)
Imports	0 cu m (2005)
Imports	7,071 bbl/day (2004)
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)
Independence	30 November 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-3.2% (2000 est.)
Industries	tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Infant mortality rate	total: 11.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	5.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	50 sq km (2003)
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
Labor force	128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km
Land use	arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005)
Languages	English
Legal system	English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 73 years male: 71.02 years female: 75.01 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Location	Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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, Canada 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)
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 (2005)
Military branches	Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.5% (2006 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Nationality	noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Natural hazards	infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Natural resources	petroleum, fish, natural gas
Net migration rate	-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; 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]
Population	280,946 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%
Population growth rate	0.369% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.003 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.967 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.627 male(s)/female total population: 0.938 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
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)
Telephones - main lines in use	134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	206,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Terrain	relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Total fertility rate	1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	10.7% (2003 est.)

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