The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

      Environment - international 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      Geography - note:

      easternmost Caribbean island

      People

       Barbados

      Population:

      281,968 (July 2008 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 19.3% (male 27,270/female 27,193) 15–64 years: 71.7% (male 99,357/female 102,683) 65 years and over: 9% (male 9,856/female 15,609) (2008 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 35.4 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      0.36% (2008 est.)

      Birth rate:

      12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Death rate:

      8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Net migration rate:

      −0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 11.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 73.21 years male: 71.2 years female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      1.5% (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      2,500 (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

      Nationality:

      noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

      Ethnic groups:

      black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

      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

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2001)

      Education expenditures:

      6.9% of GDP (2005)

      Government

       Barbados

      Country name:

      conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

      Government type:

      parliamentary democracy

      Capital:

      name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

      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 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 monarch 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 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 (judges are appointed by the Service

       Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of

       Justice is the highest court of appeal

      Political parties and leaders:

      Barbados 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, 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

      Diplomatic representation in the US:

      chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939–9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332–7467 consulate(s)