Guernsey (2001) | Barbados (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew | 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:
16.22% (male 5,285; female 5,151) 15-64 years: 66.67% (male 21,264; female 21,630) 65 years and over: 17.11% (male 4,546; female 6,466) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
21.68% (male 30,122; female 29,572) 15-64 years: 69.44% (male 93,283; female 97,915) 65 years and over: 8.88% (male 9,432; female 15,006) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle | sugarcane, vegetables, cotton |
Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
194 sq km land: 194 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
total:
430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Washington, DC | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Its economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. |
Birth rate | 9.9 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 13.47 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$381.3 million expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$725.5 million expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital expenditures of $126.3 million (FY97/98 est.) |
Capital | Saint Peter Port | Bridgetown |
Climate | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast | tropical; rainy season (June to October) |
Coastline | 50 km | 97 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 30 November 1966 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Barbados |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound | Barbadian dollar (BBD) |
Death rate | 9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $425 million (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador James A. DALEY embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael 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 | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $9.1 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates. | Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The start of the Port Charles Marina project in Speightstown helped the tourism industry continue to expand in 1996-2000. 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. Growth should remain steady in 2001, with new tourist facilities a plus factor. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 667.7 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | NA kWh | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 718 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers |
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 | UK and Norman-French descent | black 80%, white 4%, other 16% |
Exchange rates | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound | Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA) cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch |
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; prime minister appointed by the governor general |
Exports | $NA | $260 million (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables | sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing |
Exports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | UK 14.8%, US 11.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.6%, Venezuela 6.1%, Jamaica 5.8% (1998) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross | 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 - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
agriculture:
4% industry: 16% services: 80% (1998) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.7% (1999 est.) | 2.8% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 28 N, 2 35 W | 13 10 N, 59 32 W |
Geography - note | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port | easternmost Caribbean island |
Highways | total:
NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total:
1,600 km paved: 1,578 km unpaved: 22 km (1998) |
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 |
Imports | $NA | $800.3 million (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment | consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components |
Imports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | US 30.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Japan 8.3%, UK 7.7%, Canada 2.2% (1998) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 30 November 1966 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 0.8% (1996) |
Industries | tourism, banking | tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export |
Infant mortality rate | 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.99% (2000 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | 19 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Royal Court | Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services) |
Labor force | 31,322 (2000) | 136,000 (1998 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% |
arable land:
37% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 12% other: 46% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | English |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the Bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 People's Deputies elected by popular franchise, 2 Alderney representatives, HM Procureur (Attorney General), HM Comptroller (Solicitor General) and HM Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General)
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
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:
79.78 years male: 76.78 years female: 82.88 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
73.25 years male: 70.66 years female: 75.86 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.4% male: 98% female: 96.8% (1995 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total:
47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 671,545 GRT/1,125,635 DWT ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 28, combination bulk 1, container 2, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Hong Kong 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes 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:
78,069 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
53,576 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Independence Day, 30 November (1966) |
Nationality | noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
noun:
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) |
Natural hazards | NA | infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides |
Natural resources | cropland | petroleum, fish, natural gas |
Net migration rate | 3.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | 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 | none | 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 | 64,342 (July 2001 est.) | 275,330 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.39% (2001 est.) | 0.46% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson | Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | NA | 237,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist | Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 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 (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
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 | 44,000 (1996) | 108,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,000 (1997) | 8,013 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (plus two cable channels) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly level with low hills in southwest | relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region |
Total fertility rate | 1.36 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.5% (1999 est.) | 11% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |