231 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
231 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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BARBADOS
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 97 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
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Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
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Natural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas
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Land use: arable land 77%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
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pastures 9%; forest and woodland 0%; other 14%
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Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
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Note: easternmost Caribbean island
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PEOPLE
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Population: 254,626 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
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Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Barbadian(s); adjective--Barbadian
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Ethnic divisions: African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%
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Religion: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist
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7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%; none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9%
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(1980)
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Language: English
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Literacy: 99% (male 99%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever
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attended school (1970)
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Labor force: 112,300; services and government 37%; commerce 22%;
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manufacturing and construction 22%; transportation, storage,
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communications, and financial institutions 9%; agriculture 8%; utilities
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2% (1985 est.)
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Organized labor: 32% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: parliamentary democracy
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Capital: Bridgetown
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Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
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Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy,
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Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note--there may
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be a new city of Bridgetown
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Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)
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Constitution: 30 November 1966
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Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of
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legislative acts
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National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
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Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
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minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper
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house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
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represented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February
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1984);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since
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2 June 1987)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD;
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Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry FORDE;
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National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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House of Assembly--last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by
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January 1996);
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results--DLP 49.8%;
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seats--(28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
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Communists: negligible
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Other political or pressure groups: Industrial and General Workers
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Union, Sir Frank WALCOTT; People's Progressive Movement, Eric SEALY;
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Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE
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Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB,
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IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
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UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Sir William DOUGLAS; Chancery
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at 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-9200
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through 9202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a
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Consulate in Los Angeles;
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US--Ambassador G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian
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Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing
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address is P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown or FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809)
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436-4950 through 4957
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Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and
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blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the
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trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the
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colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: A per capita income of $6,500 gives Barbados one of
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the highest standards of living of all the small island states of the
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eastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation
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of sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the
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economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist
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industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source
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of foreign exchange. An unemployment rate of 18% remains one of the most
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serious economic problems facing the country.
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GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $6,500; real growth rate
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3.6% (1989 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.2% (1989)
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Unemployment: 18% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $501 million; expenditures $484 million,
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including capital expenditures of $113 million (FY91)
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Exports: $165 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--sugar and molasses, chemicals, electrical components,
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clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment;
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partners: CARICOM 30%, US 20%, UK 20%
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Imports: $701 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials,
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machinery, crude oil, construction materials, chemicals;
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partners--US 35%, CARICOM 13%, UK 12%, Japan 6%, Canada 8%,
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Venezuela 4%
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External debt: $550 million (June 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 1.5% (1989); accounts
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for 14 % of GDP
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Electricity: 132,000 kW capacity; 494 million kWh produced, 1,880
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kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
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for export
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Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane;
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other crops--vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $169 million
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Currency: Barbadian dollars (plural--dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar
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(Bds$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1--2.0113 (fixed
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rate)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth
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Ports: Bridgetown
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Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200
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GRT/7,338 DWT
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
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Telecommunications: islandwide automatic telephone system with
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89,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and Saint Lucia;
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stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
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station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force, Coast Guard, Royal
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Barbados Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 69,038; 48,455 fit for military
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service, no conscription
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Defense expenditures: $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)
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