Because of you…
Youth for Christ’s main ministry centre in Bridgetown is actively involved in providing youth guidance.
Prayer Needs
- Staff needed to run the youth centre
- Spiritual development of staff and volunteers
About Barbados
Barbados
Introduction
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography
Location
Location: Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic Coordinates: 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Area
Total Area: 430 sq km Rank: 200
Land Area: 430 sq km
Water Area: 0 sq km
Comparison: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 97 km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevations
Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest Point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural Resources
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land Use
Arable land: 37.21%
Permanent Crops: 2.33%
Other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 50 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 0.1 cu km (2003)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environmental Issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
Geography Notes
easternmost Caribbean island
People
Population: 284,589 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 180
Age Structure
0-14 years: 19.2% (male 27,383/female 27,352)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 99,829/female 103,049)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 10,464/female 16,512) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 35.1 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 0.383% (2010 est.) Rank: 168
Birth Rate: 12.55 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 163
Death Rate: 8.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 96
Net Migration Rate: -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 98
Urbanization
Urban Population: 40% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 143
Life Expectancy at Birth: 73.94 years Rank: 98
Fertility Rate: 1.68 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 172
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 1.2% (2007 est.) Rank: 49
People living with HIV/AIDS: 2,200 (2007 est.) Rank: 137
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2007 est.) Rank: 152
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
Adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic Groups: black 93%, white 3.2%, mixed 2.6%, East Indian 1%, other 0.2% (2000 census)
Religion: 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
Literacy (age 15 and over has ever attended school): 99.7% Male: 99.7% Female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 13 years Male: 13 years Female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures: 6.9% of GDP (2005) Rank: 24
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: none
Conventional Short Form: Barbados
Government Type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital: Bridgetown Geographic Coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
Administrative divisions
11 parishes and 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
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
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 David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative Branch
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013)
Election Results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: 0Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
International Organization Participation: 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
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 band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; 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 was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, but the sector faced declining revenues in 2009 with the global economic downturn. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public debt-to-GDP ratio rose to over 100% in 2009, largely because a sharp slowdown in tourism and financial services led to a wide budget deficit.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.051 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 159
GDP - real growth rate: -5.6% (2009 est.) Rank: 192
GDP - per capita (PPP): $17,700 (2009 est.) Rank: 67
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 6% Industry: 16% Services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 175,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 174
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 10% Industry: 15% Services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 10.7% (2003 est.) Rank: 119
Poverty
Population below poverty line: NA
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
