| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Geographical Location |
13° 10' North Latitude
59° 32' West Longitude |
| Surface Area |
431 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical; rainy season (June to October) |
| Natural Resources |
Petroleum, fish, natural gas |
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| Political Information |
 |
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| Country Name |
Barbados |
| Capital City |
Bridgetown |
| Government Type |
Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth |
| Administrative Divisions |
11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status |
| Independence Day |
30 November 1966 (from UK) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
279,254 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) |
| Ethnic Groups |
Black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% |
| Religion |
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% |
| Languages |
English |
| Population Growth Rate |
0.33% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Barbadian dollar (BBD) |
| Industries |
Tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export |
| Labor Force |
128,500 (2001 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Sugarcane, vegetables, cotton |
| Export Commodities |
Sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components |
| Export Partners |
Trinidad and Tobago 14.2%, US 13.9%, UK 13%, Jamaica 7.7%, Saint Lucia 5.8%, Spain 5.8%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.6% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components |
| Import Partners |
US 31.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 21.6%, UK 7.9%, Japan 5.3% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
- |
| Highways |
1,600 km |
| Pipelines |
- |
| Airports |
1 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Bridgetown |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+1246 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.bb |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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. |
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