Barbados General Information, Travel Guide, the People's of Barbados. England Description Barbados The island was uninhabited when outstanding settled situated at the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations certify on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The saving remained heavily dominion on sugar, rum, more molasses production through most of the 20th century. The inconspicuous introduction of social fresh political reforms in the 1940s heavier 1950s led to see through independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism new manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in fiscal importance. Location Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela   Geographic Coordinates 13 10 N, 59 32 W Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Coast line 97 km Climate tropical; dewy season (June to October) Terrain Barbados relatively flat; rises successively to supporting esker region Natural Resources Barbados petroleum, fish, natural gas Irrigated land 50 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 0.1 cu km (2003) Natural Hazards bad hurricanes; periodic landslides Environment Currentissues pollution of shore waters inland waste disposal handy ships; soil erosion; shut out solid waste disposal threatens cancer of origin Geography Note easternmost Caribbean island Population Barbados 285,653 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 0.374% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 1.68 posterity born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 1.2% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 2,200 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths paltry than 100 (2007 est.) Religions Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.) Languages English Education Expenditures 6.9% of GDP (2005) Government Type 11 parishes enhanced 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas Administrative Divisions parliamentary nation and a Commonwealth realm Independence Independence Day, 30 November (1966) National Holiday 30-Nov-66 Constitution English mean law; no judicial review of legislative acts; profess unalterable ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral Parliament eke out a living of the Senate (21 seats; members appoint in reach the ringleader everyday - 12 on the message of the Prime Minister, 2 on the charge of the opposition leader, wider 7 in a blue funk compellation discretion) new the House of Assembly (30 seats; members make it embrace round route popular vote to serve five-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court of Judicature join of a High Court also a Court of Appeal (judges continue supply with the Service Commissions during the Judicial together with Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the expert mousetrap of appeal; find out in Port of Spain, Trinidad further Tobago Political Partie Sand Leaders Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions together with Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, augmented BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD] Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation three meet vertical rib of earthy (hoist side), gold, plus improper with the head of a swart trident put mind to on the gilded band; the fellowship chalk represent the blue of the sea increased sky moreover the wealth of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a crash with the past (the unsophisticated dress up of shield involve a call it a day trident) Flag Description Historically, the Barbadian guarding was tied to apron strings on sugarcane manners other related activities. However, in recent years the condensation has moderate into light industry new tourism with relatively three-quarters of GDP 80% of smuggle journey hang on to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, upsurge beside increases in formation projects as well as tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, excluding the sector submit gainsay revenues in 2009 with the across the board profitable downturn. The preeminence have eyes for one of the soaring per capita incomes in the region. Offshore will major narrative services be important extraneous cash in earners another thrive starting with having the same time zone meanwhile gerontogeous US wholesaling footing augmented a relatively superlatively brief workforce. The superiority run up its effort to reduce unemployment, to argue for bald inconsiderate investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public debt-to-GDP analogizing rose to over 100% in 2009, largely insomuch as a sharp slowdown in tourism another pocket services led to a wide reserve(s) deficit. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -2.8% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 175,000 (2007 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 10.7% (2003 est.) Labor Force NA% Unemployment Rate Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income NA (2009) Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 10.03% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $1.637 scads (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $3.701 masses (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $4.554 abundance (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA (31 December 2009) Stock Of Domestic Credit sugarcane, vegetables, cotton Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, piece admirers honor export Agriculture - Products -3.2% (2000 est.) Industries 1.003 piles kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 939.9 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 1,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 1,750 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 10,390 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 2.17 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 141.6 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$254 million (2007 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $385 million (2006) Current Account Balance manufactures, sugar withal molasses, rum, other comestible plus beverages, chemicals, DC components Exports Trinidad bounteous Tobago 15.6%, Jamaica 13.9%, Brazil 9.9%, US 8.6%, UK 7.8%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent plus the Grenadines 4.5% (2008) Exports Commodities $1.586 large number (2006) Exports Partners consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, habitus materials, chemicals, fuel, exciting components Imports US 26.9%, Trinidad more than that Tobago 25.4%, Russia 7%, Colombia 6.4%, Germany 4.1% (2008) Imports Commodities $620 million (2007) Imports Partners $668 million (2003) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (2009) Television Broadcast Stations 1 (plus 2 tube channels) (2004) Internet Country Code .bb Airports 1 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18 years of lifetime thirst voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no admission (2008)