Title: Background Note: Barbados
PA
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Description: Historical, Political and Economic Overviews of the
Countries of the World
Date: Jan, 15 19931/15/93
Category: Country Data
Region: Caribbean
Country: Barbados
Subject: Travel, History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics, Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange,
State Department
[TEXT]
Official Name:
Barbados
PROFILE
Geography
Area:
431 sq. km. (166 sq. mi.); about three times the size
of Washington, DC.
Cities:
Capital--Bridgetown.
Terrain:
Flat, rising to a ridge in the center.
Climate:
Tropical.
People
Nationality:
Noun and adjective--Barbadian(s); also "Bajan(s)".
Population (1992):
259,300.
Avg. annual growth rate:
0.2%.
Ethnic groups:
African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%.
Religions:
Anglican 70%, Roman Catholic, Methodist,
Baptist, and Moravian.
Language:
English.
Education:
Attendance--primary school 100%, secondary
school 93%. Adult literacy--99%.
Health (1992):
Infant mortality rate--9/1,000. Life
expectancy--73 yrs. men, 75 yrs. women.
Work force (124,800, 1992):
Commerce and tourism--25%.
Government--23%. Manufacturing--11%. Agriculture ∧ fishing--6%.
Government
Type:
Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign
state within the Commonwealth.
Independence:
November 30, 1966. Constitution: 1966.
Branches:
Executive--governor general (representing
Queen Elizabeth II, head of state), prime minister (head of
government), cabinet. Legislative--bicameral parliament. Judicial-
-magistrate's courts, Supreme Court (High Court and Court of
Appeals), privy council.
Subdivisions:
11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown.
Political parties:
Democratic Labor Party (incumbent),
Barbados Labor Party (official opposition), National Democratic
Party (opposition).
Defense:
About 2.5% of budget.
Flag:
Three vertical bands (blue, yellow, blue) with a
broken trident in the center.
Economy
GDP (1992):
$1.7 billion.
Real GDP growth rate:
-4%.
Per capita
GDP: $6,500.
Average inflation rate:
6.1%.
Unemployment rate (1992):
23%.
Natural resources:
Petroleum, limestone.
Agriculture (8% of GDP):
Sugar accounts for 3.4% of GDP
and 80% of arable land.
Industry (10% of GDP):
Manufacturing--food, beverages,
textiles, paper, chemicals, fabricated products.
Trade:
Exports--$194 million. Major markets--CARICOM
31%, UK 17%, US 13%. Imports--$704 million. Major suppliers--US
34%, European Economic Community 19% (UK accounts for 11% of all
suppliers), CARICOM 16%, Japan 3%.
Official exchange rate:
US$1=BDS$2.
PEOPLE
Barbados' population is about 80% African, 4% European, and 16%
mixed. About 70% of Barbadians are Anglican, and the rest mostly
Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Moravian. There are also
small Jewish and Muslim communities. Barbados' population growth
rate has been very low--under 1% since the 1960s, largely through
family planning efforts and a high emigration rate.
HISTORY
British sailors who landed on Barbados at the site of present-day
Holetown in 1624 or 1625 found it uninhabited. Arawak Indians may
have been native to the island but were later annihilated, apparently
by marauding Caribs, who are believed to have subsequently
abandoned the island. From the arrival of the first British settlers
in 1627-28 until independence in 1966, Barbados was under
uninterrupted British control. Nevertheless, Barbados always
enjoyed a large measure of local autonomy. Its House of Assembly,
which began meeting in 1639, is the third oldest legislative body in
the Western Hemisphere--preceded only by Bermuda's legislature
and the Virginia House of Burgesses.
As the sugar industry developed into the main commercial
enterprise, Barbados was divided into large plantation estates. To
work these plantations, slaves were brought from Africa, until the
slave trade ceased a few years before the abolition of slavery
throughout the British Empire in 1834.
Local politics were dominated by a group of British plantation
owners and merchants. It was not until the 1930s that a movement
for political rights was begun by the descendants of emancipated
slaves. One of the leaders of this movement, Sir Grantley Adams,
founded the Barbados Labor Party in 1938.
Progress toward more democratic government for Barbados was
made in 1951, when universal adult suffrage was introduced. This
was followed by steps toward increased self-government, and in
1961, Barbados achieved internal autonomy.
From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of 10 members of the West
Indies Federation, and Sir Grantley Adams served as its first and
only prime minister. When the federation was terminated, Barbados
reverted to its former status as a self-governing colony. Following
several attempts to form another federation composed of Barbados
and the Leeward and Windward Islands, Barbados negotiated its own
independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom
in June 1966. After years of peaceful and democratic progress,
Barbados became an independent state within the British
Commonwealth on November 30, 1966.
GOVERNMENT
Under its constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy
modeled on the British system. The governor general represents the
British crown. Control of the government rests with the cabinet,
headed by the prime minister, which is responsible to the
parliament.
The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Assembly and
Senate. The 28 members of the House are elected by universal
suffrage to 5-year terms. Elections may be called at any time it
wishes to seek a new mandate or if the government suffers a vote of
no confidence in parliament. The Senate's 21 members are appointed
by the governor general--12 with the advice of the prime minister, 2
with the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 7 at the governor
general's discretion.
Barbados has an independent judiciary composed of magistrate
courts, which are statutorily authorized and a Supreme Court, which
is constitutionally mandated. The Supreme Court consists of the
high court and the court of appeals, each with four judges. The Chief
Justice serves on both the high court and the court of appeals. The
court of last resort is the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty's Privy
Council, whose decisions are binding on all parties. Judges of the
Supreme Court are appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister after consultation with the
leader of the opposition.
The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown.
There is no local government--all divisions are administered by the
central government.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The main political parties of Barbados have traditionally been the
Barbados Labor Party (BLP) and the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). In
1989, finance minister Dr. Richie Haynes resigned from the
governing party along with three fellow DLP parliamentarians. They
formed a new political party--the National Democratic Party (NDP).
In the 1991 general elections, Erskine Sandiford and the DLP
retained power, winning 18 of 28 seats in the House of Assembly.
The NDP failed to win any seats.
The three political parties--BLP, DLP, and NDP--are all moderate
and have no real ideological differences. As such, electoral contests
and political disputes often have personal overtones. The major
political problems facing Barbados today are promoting economic
growth, reestablishing an healthy balance-of-payments, encouraging
agricultural diversification, attracting small industry, and
promoting tourism.
Principal Government Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Dame Nita Barrow
Prime Minister--Lloyd Erskine Sandiford
Ambassador to the US and the OAS--Dr. Rudi Webster
Ambassador to the UN--Besley Maycock
Barbados maintains an embassy in the United States located at 2144
Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, tel. 202-939-9200,
and a Consulate General in New York at 800 2nd Avenue, 18th floor,
New York, NY 10017, tel. 212-867-8435.
ECONOMY
The Barbadian economy is currently experiencing its most difficult
post-independence challenge, with GDP declining 4% in 1991 and 4%
in 1992. Fundamental macroeconomic imbalances began to emerge in
the economy during the 1980s as Barbados' external competitiveness
weakened due to policies that maintained high real exchange rates,
high domestic costs, and a trade regime biased in favor of import
substitution. As a consequence, exports declined, the trade deficit
soared ($493 million in 1990), and investment contracted. Sugar
continued its slide, and tourism, long the most dynamic sector of the
economy, declined. The fiscal deficit, adversely affected by the
decline in economic activity, was further aggravated by a rapid
escalation of government expenditure in 1990. The fiscal deficit
combined with a high external debt load and falling exports to
reduce foreign exchange reserves drastically. By 1991, the key
performance indicators--fiscal deficit, foreign exchange reserves,
and central bank lending to the government--were at crisis levels,
forcing the government to go to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for relief. The government has undertaken an IMF-sponsored
structural adjustment program intended to reverse the internal and
external imbalances by implementing measures to increase taxes,
cut public expenditures, and curb private demand through higher
interest rates and restrictive credit.
Traditionally, sugar was Barbados' largest industry, but in recent
years tourism and light industry have overtaken it in importance
both as foreign exchange earners and as employers. Barbados'
topographical features and climate are ideally suited for tourism.
The infrastructure and services that support tourism (road
transportation network, international airport, communications,
health services, and banking services) are among the best in the
Caribbean. While tourism accounted for 11% of GDP in 1990, its
importance is even greater if its links to other sectors of the
economy are considered. Nevertheless, tourism has softened over
the last 2 years due to stiffer Caribbean competition from other
islands, and international political and economic events. In 1992,
there were 385,470 stayover visitors (116,000 from the US) from
the previous year.
Although annual sugar production sometimes exceeded 180,000
metric tons during the postwar period, it had dropped to a record
low of 54,000 metric tons by 1992. Efforts to diversify agricultural
production have had limited success because sugar receives high
government subsidies and over 80% of the arable land is controlled
by sugar interests.
Manufacturing had become a significant sector of the economy by the
mid-1980s, but has since declined, accounting for about the same
level of GDP (8%) in 1990 as in 1960.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
As a small nation, the primary thrust of Barbados' diplomatic
activity has been within international organizations. The island is a
member of the Commonwealth and participates in all Commonwealth
activities. Barbados was admitted to the United Nations in
December 1966. Wishing to participate fully in the inter-American
system, it joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in
1967.
On July 4, 1973, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Jamaica
signed a treaty in Trinidad to found Caribbean Community and
Common Market (CARICOM). In May 1974, most of the remaining
English-speaking Caribbean states joined CARICOM, which now has
13 members. Barbados is also a member of the Caribbean
Development Bank, established in 1970 with headquarters in
Bridgetown.
Barbados has diplomatic missions headed by resident ambassadors
or high commissioners in Canada, European Economic Community
(Brussels), UN, UK, US, and Venezuela. It also has resident Consuls
General in Toronto and New York. Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Costa
Rica, China, UK, US, and Venezuela have ambassadors or high
commissioners resident in Barbados.
US-BARBADIAN RELATIONS
In 1751, George Washington visited Barbados, making what is
believed to have been his only trip abroad. The US Government has
been represented on Barbados since 1824. The United States
supports Barbados' efforts to achieve economic growth and social
betterment. It seeks Barbados' understanding of US policies and
support for US objectives in international organizations. As a
relatively high-income country, Barbados receives only limited
economic assistance from the United States. The US supports
economic development programs regionally which benefit Barbados
and encourages participation fully in the Caribbean Basin and
Enterprise for the Americas initiatives. The CARICOM Nations, of
which Barbados is one, have signed a framework agreement with the
United States to promote trade and investment under the Enterprise
for the Americas Initiative.
Principal US Officials
Ambassador--G. Philip Hughes
Deputy Chief of Mission--Tain P. Tompkins
Political/Economic Counselor--Thomas R. Hutson
Consul General--Thomas E. Cairns
Regional Labor Attaches--Raymond Brown
Public Affairs Officer--Gerald Waters
Director, United States Agency for International Development--
Mosina Jordan
The US Embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank
of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel. 809-436-
4950).
TRAVEL NOTES
Visas, duty, and currency:
US citizens do not require
passports and visas, but must present proof of citizenship (usually
an original birth certificate and photo I.D.).
Health:
Medical and sanitation facilities and supplies are
good. Travelers should check latest information.
HOW TO ORDER BACKGROUND NOTES IN PAPER
Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of
Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC
-- January 1993 -- Managing Editor: Peter A. Knecht -- Editor:
Josephine C> Brooks
Department of State Publication 8242
Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and
may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is
appreciated.
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