Barbados (2007) | Bermuda (2008) | |
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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 | 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick |
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.) |
0-14 years: 18.3% (male 6,094/female 6,014)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,696/female 23,094) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 3,597/female 4,668) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vegetables, cotton | bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey |
Airports | 1 (2007) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about one-third 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. | Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue. |
Birth rate | 12.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 11.26 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $738 million
expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05) |
Capital | name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November |
Climate | tropical; rainy season (June to October) | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter |
Coastline | 97 km | 103 km |
Constitution | 30 November 1966 | 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands |
Death rate | 8.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $668 million (2003) | $160 million (FY99/00) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
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 |
chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 |
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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $2.07 million (2005) | $90,000 (2004) |
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 was positive in 2005-06, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved. | Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001 attacks and again after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable. |
Electricity - consumption | 886.3 million kWh (2005) | 574.8 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 953 million kWh (2005) | 618 million kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
Environment - current issues | pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers | sustainable development |
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% | black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) |
Exchange rates | Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002) | Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
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 7 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); represented by Governor Sir Richard GOZNEY (since 12 December 2007)
head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
Exports | NA bbl/day | 0 bbl/day (2005) |
Exports - commodities | sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components | reexports of pharmaceuticals |
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) | Spain 35.3%, UK 15.7%, Brazil 9.1%, Sweden 7.5% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 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) | red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 6%
industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.5% (2006 est.) | 4.6% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 10 N, 59 32 W | 32 20 N, 64 45 W |
Geography - note | easternmost Caribbean island | consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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 bbl/day | 4,250 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components | clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals |
Imports - partners | US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.6%, UK 5.9% (2006) | US 71.8%, Venezuela 6.9%, Canada 6.6% (2006) |
Independence | 30 November 1966 (from UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | -3.2% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export | international business, tourism, light manufacturing |
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.) |
total: 8.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -0.5% (2003 est.) | 2.8% (November 2005) |
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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | Caricom (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UPU, WCO |
Irrigated land | 50 sq km (2003) | NA |
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 | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts |
Labor force | 128,500 (2001 est.) | 38,360 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 10%
industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.) |
agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005) |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005) |
Languages | English | English (official), Portuguese |
Legal system | English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | English law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members 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 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; members appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 18 December 2007 (next to be held not later than 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 52.5%, UBP 47.3%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73 years
male: 71.02 years female: 75.01 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 78.13 years
male: 76 years female: 80.29 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.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela | North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | North America |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing 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) |
total: 133 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,366,999 GRT/8,615,385 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 24, container 22, liquefied gas 30, passenger 23, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 126 (Australia 4, Belgium 3, China 10, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 1, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Singapore 1, Sweden 15, UK 20, US 23) registered in other countries: 50 (Bahamas 12, Croatia 2, Marshall Islands 5, Philippines 31) (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) | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007) | no regular military forces; Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Reserve Constabulary, Bermuda Regiment |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.5% (2006 est.) | 0.11% (2005 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 30 November (1966) | Bermuda Day, 24 May |
Nationality | noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) |
noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian |
Natural hazards | infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides | hurricanes (June to November) |
Natural resources | petroleum, fish, natural gas | limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism |
Net migration rate | -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 2.34 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] | Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Wayne FURBERT] |
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] | Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] |
Population | 280,946 (July 2007 est.) | 66,163 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 19% (2000) |
Population growth rate | 0.369% (2007 est.) | 0.576% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Religions | Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% | Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) |
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.) |
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.771 male(s)/female total population: 0.959 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 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) |
general assessment: good
domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber-optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; landing point for the Atlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from the US to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 134,900 (2005) | 57,700 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 206,200 (2005) | 60,100 (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004) | 3 (2005) |
Terrain | relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region | low hills separated by fertile depressions |
Total fertility rate | 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.88 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 10.7% (2003 est.) | 2.1% (2004 est.) |