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Compare China (2004) - Barbados (2002)

Compare China (2004) z Barbados (2002)

 China (2004)Barbados (2002)
 ChinaBarbados
Administrative divisions 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)

provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang

autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)

municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin


note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
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: 22.3% (male 153,401,051; female 135,812,993)


15-64 years: 70.3% (male 469,328,664; female 443,248,860)


65 years and over: 7.5% (male 46,308,923; female 50,747,133) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 21.4% (male 29,888; female 29,338)


15-64 years: 69.8% (male 94,214; female 98,811)


65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,378; female 14,978) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, fish sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Airports 507 (2003 est.) 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 332


over 3,047 m: 49


2,438 to 3,047 m: 97


1,524 to 2,437 m: 129


914 to 1,523 m: 22


under 914 m: 35 (2003 est.)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 175


over 3,047 m: 23


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 36


914 to 1,523 m: 40


under 914 m: 66 (2003 est.)
-
Area total: 9,596,960 sq km


land: 9,326,410 sq km


water: 270,550 sq km
total: 431 sq km


land: 431 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. 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 12.98 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 13.32 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $265.8 billion


expenditures: $300.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003)
revenues: $847 million (including grants)


expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Beijing Bridgetown
Climate extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Coastline 14,500 km 97 km
Constitution most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 30 November 1966
Country name conventional long form: People's Republic of China


conventional short form: China


local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo


local short form: Zhong Guo


abbreviation: PRC
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Barbados
Currency yuan (CNY)


note:: also referred to as the Renminbi (RMB)
Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Death rate 6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $197.8 billion (2003 est.) $425 million
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.


embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831


FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929


consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang
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; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055


telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950


FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi


chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
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 and New York


consulate(s): Los Angeles
Disputes - international involved in complex dispute with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; most of the rugged, militarized boundary with India is in dispute, but the two sides are committed to begin resolution with discussions on the least disputed Middle Sector; Kashmir remains the world's largest and highly militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas), but recent discussion and confidence-building measures among parties are beginning to defuse tensions, India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in a 1964 boundary agreement; China and Taiwan continue to assert their claims to the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) with increased media coverage and protest actions; certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is indefinite - China has been attempting to manage illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; China and Russia in 2004 resolved their last border dispute over islands in the Amur and Argun Rivers, but details on demarcation have not yet been worked-out; boundary delimitation agreements signed in 2002 with Tajikistan cedes 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China's relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km, but demarcation has not commenced; agreements with Vietnam demarcating maritime boundaries and fisheries cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin were ratified in June, and demarcation of the land boundary continues; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; in response to groups in Burma and Thailand expressing concern over China's plans to construct 13 hydroelectric dams on the Nu River in Yunnan Province (Salween River in Burma), Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao suspended the project to conduct an environmental impact assessment, a smaller scale version of only 4 dams is now scheduled to move forward none
Economic aid - recipient NA $9.1 million (1995)
Economy - overview In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, inefficient, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2003 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still poor. Agriculture and industry have posted major gains especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong, opposite Taiwan, and in Shanghai, where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (growing income disparities and rising unemployment). China thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) sustain adequate jobs growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 80 to 120 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. Beijing says it will intensify efforts to stimulate growth through spending on infrastructure - such as water supply and power grids - and poverty relief and through rural tax reform. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen its ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer internet use. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable economic growth. Growing shortages of electric power and raw materials will hold back the expansion of industrial output in 2004. 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, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2001 due to slowdowns in tourism and consumer spending. Growth will remain anemic in 2002 with a recovery likely near the end of the year.
Electricity - consumption 1.312 trillion kWh (2001) 688.2 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 10.3 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 1.8 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 1.42 trillion kWh (2001) 740 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Environment - current issues air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Exchange rates yuan per US dollar - 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001), 8.2785 (2000), 8.2783 (1999) Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)
Executive branch chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)


head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)


elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress


election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (4 delegates voted against him, 4 abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); 2 seats were vacant
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 Billie MILLER (since 6 September 1994)


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 151,200 bbl/day (2001) $272 million (2000)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, footwear, toys and sporting goods, mineral fuels sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
Exports - partners US 21.1%, Hong Kong 17.4%, Japan 13.6%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4% (2003) Caribbean Community 43.2%, US 15.3%, UK 13.2% (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner 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 purchasing power parity - $6.449 trillion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14.8%


industry and construction: 52.9%


services: 32.3% (2003)
agriculture: 6%


industry: 16%


services: 78% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 9.1% (official data) (2003 est.) -2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 105 00 E 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Geography - note world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak; easternmost Caribbean island
Heliports 15 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 1,402,698 km


paved: 314,204 km (with at least 16,314 km of expressways)


unpaved: 1,088,494 km (2000)
total: 1,650 km


paved: 1,628 km


unpaved: 22 km (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
Imports 1.207 million bbl/day (2001) $1.16 billion (2000)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, plastics, iron and steel, chemicals consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners Japan 18%, Taiwan 11.9%, South Korea 10.4%, US 8.2%, Germany 5.9% (2003) US 40.8%, Caribbean Community 19.8%, UK 8.1%, Japan 5.2%, Canada 4.2% (2000)
Independence 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established) 30 November 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 30.4% (2003 est.) -3.2% (2000 est.)
Industries iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Infant mortality rate total: 25.28 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.84 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 29.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
11.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.2% (2003 est.) 3.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 19 (2000)
Irrigated land 525,800 sq km (1998 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts) Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)
Labor force 778.1 million (2003 est.) 128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 50%, industry 22%, services 28% (2001 est.) services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries total: 22,117 km


border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km


regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 15.4%


permanent crops: 1.25%


other: 83.36% (2001)
arable land: 37.21%


permanent crops: 2.33%


other: 60.46% (1998 est.)
Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) English
Legal system a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next to be held by January 2004)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.96 years


male: 70.4 years


female: 73.72 years (2004 est.)
total population: 73.49 years


male: 70.9 years


female: 76.12 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 90.9%


male: 95.1%


female: 86.5% (2002)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 97.4%


male: 98%


female: 96.8% (1995 est.)
Location Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references Asia Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 1,850 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,724,653 GRT/27,749,784 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 355, cargo 822, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 165, liquefied gas 28, multi-functional large load carrier 8, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 46, petroleum tanker 272, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 25, short-sea/passenger 39, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 4


foreign-owned: Cambodia 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 12, Japan 1, South Korea 2, Liberia 1, Malaysia 1, Panama 1, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1


registered in other countries: 790 (2004 est.)
total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,987 GRT/1,073,991 DWT


ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 26, combination bulk 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 4


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bahamas, The 1, Canada 4, Germany 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 7, Norway 7, United Kingdom 18 (2002 est.)
Military branches People's Liberation Army (PLA): comprises ground forces, Navy (including naval infantry and naval aviation), Air Force, and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force), People's Armed Police Force (internal security troops, nominally a state security body but included by the Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an adjunct to the PLA), militia Royal Barbados Defense Force (including Ground Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $60 billion (2003 est.) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.5-5.0% (FY03 est.) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 379,524,688 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 78,132 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 208,143,352 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 53,532 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 12,494,201 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Nationality noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)


adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Natural hazards frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Natural resources coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) petroleum, fish, natural gas
Net migration rate -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478 km; refined products 3,280 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard HAYNES]
Political pressure groups and leaders no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups 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 1,298,847,624 (July 2004 est.) 276,607 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 10% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 0.57% (2004 est.) 0.46% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang (2001) Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)
Radio broadcast stations AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 237,000 (1997)
Railways total: 70,058 km


standard gauge: 68,000 km 1.435-m gauge (18,668 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 3,600 km 1.000-m and 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines


dual gauge: 22,640 km (not included in total) (2003)
0 km
Religions Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%


note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns


domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place


international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
general assessment: NA


domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system


international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
Telephones - main lines in use 263 million (2003) 108,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 269 million (2003) 8,013 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997) 1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Total fertility rate 1.69 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.64 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 10.1% urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2003 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
Waterways 121,557 km (2002) none
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