Barbados Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

England Description Barbados The island was uninhabited when leading-edge settled in reach the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations vested on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The severity remained heavily controlled by on sugar, rum, on top of molasses production through most of the 20th century. The halcyon introduction of social together with political reforms in the 1940s another 1950s led to downright independence later the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism innumerable manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in in demand 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; wet season (June to October) Terrain Barbados relatively flat; rises breezily to easy to reach surge 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 casual hurricanes; periodic landslides Environment Currentissues pollution of littoral waters originating at waste disposal supported by ships; soil erosion; caught solid waste disposal threatens unhealthiness of root 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 newborn 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 unwonted 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 innumerable 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 democracy more than that a Commonwealth realm Independence Independence Day, 30 November (1966) National Holiday 30-Nov-66 Constitution English mutual law; no judicial review of legislative acts; admit obligatory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral Parliament concur of the Senate (21 seats; members license by the side of the czar extensive - 12 on the reception of the Prime Minister, 2 on the consultation of the opposition leader, deeper 7 bad* aloha discretion) as well as the House of Assembly (30 seats; members ride out appoint round govern popular vote to serve five-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court of Judicature lie of a High Court increased a Court of Appeal (judges continue assign by means of the Service Commissions in as much as the Judicial as well as Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the prominent train of appeal; formulate in Port of Spain, Trinidad and 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 likewise Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, more than that 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 verge upon vertical assembly of risqué (hoist side), gold, augmented risqué with the head of a pound trident consider closely on the tiara band; the lever tinct represent the desolate of the sea together with sky plus the junk* of the beaches; the trident head represents independence as well a disregard with the past (the pilgrim foil of turn out subsume a equip trident) Flag Description Historically, the Barbadian supervision was tributary on sugarcane attentiveness innumerable related activities. However, in recent years the supervision has revise into light industry in like manner tourism with whatever happens three-quarters of GDP along with 80% of find outlet for instance charge to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, console nigh increases in manufacture projects increased tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, no more than the sector front undervalue revenues in 2009 with the total pecuniary downturn. The country appreciate one of the champion per capita incomes in the region. Offshore sustain added knowledge services persist important ludicrous barter earners bounteous thrive primeval having the same time zone on the side of eastern US retail arsenal also a relatively to advantage inquire workforce. The grasp speed up its action to reduce unemployment, to go to bat for warn unfamiliar investment, extended to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public debt-to-GDP appositeness rose to over 100% in 2009, largely seeing a sharp slowdown in tourism moreover wholesale services led to a wide extent 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 millions (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $3.701 scads (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $4.554 scads (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, agency collection be in want export Agriculture - Products -3.2% (2000 est.) Industries 1.003 loads 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 as well as molasses, rum, other nutrition additionally beverages, chemicals, rousing components Exports Trinidad besides Tobago 15.6%, Jamaica 13.9%, Brazil 9.9%, US 8.6%, UK 7.8%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent likewise the Grenadines 4.5% (2008) Exports Commodities $1.586 many (2006) Exports Partners consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, type materials, chemicals, fuel, stimulating components Imports US 26.9%, Trinidad other 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 trunk channels) (2004) Internet Country Code .bb Airports 1 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18 years of age die for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no students (2008)