Compare Barbados (2003) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

Compare Barbados (2003) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

	Barbados (2003)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)

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	-
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.)	-
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, vegetables, cotton	-
Airports	1 (2002)	1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.3 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.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	13.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)	-
Capital	Bridgetown	-
Climate	tropical; rainy season (June to October)	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	97 km	698 km
Constitution	30 November 1966	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Currency	Barbadian dollar (BBD)	-
Death rate	9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-
Debt - external	$692 million (2002)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
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; FPO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 339-9201 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	none	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	$9.1 million (1995)	-
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.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - consumption	725.4 million kWh (2001)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	-
Electricity - production	780 million kWh (2001)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers	NA
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	-
Ethnic groups	black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%	-
Exchange rates	Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999), 2 (1998)	-
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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA (2001)	-
Exports - commodities	sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components	-
Exports - partners	US 14.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 12%, UK 10.6%, Jamaica 6.2%, Saint Lucia 4.7% (2002)	-
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)	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP	purchasing power parity - $4.153 billion (2002 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2002 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	-2.8% (2002 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	13 10 N, 59 32 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E
Geography - note	easternmost Caribbean island	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways	total: 1,793 km paved: 1,719 km unpaved: 74 km (1999)	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
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	NA (2001)	-
Imports - commodities	consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components	-
Imports - partners	US 41.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 17%, UK 7.3%, Japan 4.2% (2002)	-
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: 12.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-0.6% (2002 est.)	-
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	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	19 (2000)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	10 sq km (1998 est.)	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)	-
Labor force	128,500 (2001 est.)	-
Labor force - by occupation	services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (1998 est.)	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages	English	-
Legal system	English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 71.84 years male: 69.56 years female: 74.14 years (2003 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.4% male: 98% female: 96.8% (1995 est.)	-
Location	Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine	total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 284,222 GRT/439,810 DWT ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 22, combination bulk 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2 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.)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	Royal Barbados Defense Force (including Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA%	-
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.)	-
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	NA
Natural resources	petroleum, fish, natural gas	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-
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]	-
Population	277,264 (July 2003 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.38% (2003 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	NA
Railways	0 km	-
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: 1.01 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.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
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	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	108,000 (1997)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,013 (1997)	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	10% (2001 est.)	-
Waterways	none	none

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