The 1997 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but in recent years the production 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. The industry generated $331.8 million by the end of June and was expected to double by the end of the year. Prime Minister Owen ARTHUR called for "prudent" financial management to ensure that economic growth would continue. As part of his plan, the Prime Minister introduced a controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) in an effort to reform the tax administration process. The VAT will be administered at 15% for most industries and 7% for the tourism industry. The government has also continued its efforts to promote regional integration initiatives, to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate, and to encourage direct foreign investment.

      GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.65 billion (1996 est.)

      GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (1996 est.)

      GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,300 (1996 est.)

      GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.4% industry: 39.3% services: 54.3% (1994)

      Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.8% (1995)

      Labor force: total: 126,000 (1993) by occupation: services and government 41%, commerce 15%, manufacturing and construction 18%, transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 8%, agriculture 6%, utilities 2% (1992 est.)

      Unemployment rate: 16.2% (1996)

      Budget: revenues: $550 million expenditures: $710 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (FY95/96 est.)

      Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

      Industrial production growth rate: 7.7% (1995)

      Electricity - capacity: 153,000 kW (1995)

      Electricity - production: 644 million kWh (1995)

      Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,208 kWh (1995 est.)

      Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

      Exports: total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing partners: US 13%, UK 10%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 8%

      Imports: total value: $763 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components partners: US 36%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 3%

      Debt - external: $359 million (December 1996)

      Economic aid: $NA

      Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

      Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)

      Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

      @Barbados:Communications

      Telephones: 87,343 (1991 est.)

      Telephone system: domestic: island wide automatic telephone system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

      Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0

      Radios: NA

      Television broadcast stations: 2 (1 pay)

      Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)

      @Barbados:Transportation

      Railways: 0 km

      Highways: total: 1,610 km paved : 1,542 km unpaved: 68 km (1995 est.)

      Ports and harbors: Bridgetown

      Merchant marine: total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 453,828 GRT/684,470 DWT ships by type : bulk 16, cargo 27, combination bulk 4, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1 (1996 est.)

      Airports: 1 (1996 est.)

      Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1996 est.)

      Military

      Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground

       Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force

      Military manpower - availability: males age 15–49: 71,547 (1997 est.)

      Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 49,446 (1997 est.)

      Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

      Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

      Transnational Issues

      Disputes - international: none

      Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for the US and Europe ______________________________________________________________________

      BASSAS DA INDIA

      (possession of France)

      @Bassas da India:Geography

      Location: Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique

      Geographic coordinates: 21 30 S, 39 50 E

      Map references: Africa

      Area: total: 0.2 sq km land: 0.2 sq km water: 0 sq km

      Area - comparative: about one-third the size of The Mall in

       Washington, DC

      Land boundaries: 0 km

      Coastline: 35.2 km

      Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

      Climate: tropical

      Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 meters high

      Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m

      Natural resources: none

      Land use: arable land : 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (all rock)

      Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

      Natural hazards: maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones

      Environment - current issues: NA

      Environment - international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

      @Bassas da India:People

      Population: uninhabited

      @Bassas da India:Government

      Country name: conventional long form : none conventional short form: Bassas da India

      Data code: BS

      Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion

      National capital: none; administered by France from Reunion

      Independence: none (possession of France)

      Flag description: the flag of France is used

      Economy

      Economy - overview: no economic activity

      @Bassas da India:Transportation

      Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

      Military

      Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

      Transnational Issues

      Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar ______________________________________________________________________