Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Courtney N. BLACKMAN
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Coral Gables (Florida), Miami, and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador E. William CROTTY
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street,
Bridgetown
mailing address: P.O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
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)
Economy
Economy—overview: 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 1996–98. Offshore finance and informatics are important foreign exchange earners, and there is also a light manufacturing sector. The government continues its efforts to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$2.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$11,200 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 15% services: 79% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1997)
Labor force: 136,000 (1998 est.)
Labor force—by occupation: services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital expenditures of
$126.3 million (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component
assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (1996)
Electricity—production: 600 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 600 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Exports: $280 million (1997)
Exports—commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and
beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing
Exports—partners: Caricom 34.8%, US 18.4%, UK 16.6%, Canada 4.4%
(1996)
Imports: $982 million (1997)
Imports—commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs,
construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports—partners: US 40.5%, Caricom 14.7%, UK 8.4%, Canada 5%
(1996)
Debt—external: $581.4 million (1996)
Economic aid—recipient: $9.1 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1—2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
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 2, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (in addition, there are two cable channels) (1997)
Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,650 km paved: 1,582 km unpaved: 68 km (1998 est.)
Ports and harbors: Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)
Merchant marine:
total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 641,550 GRT/1,087,042
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 26, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 4,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries:
Canada owns 2 ships, Hong Kong 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 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: 72,111 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 49,600 (1999 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
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@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