Barbados
Country Guide

Explore Barbados

Barbados with its capital Bridgetown is located in North America (Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 431 square kilometers (2.5 times the size of Washington, DC) with a population of 292,336. English is the language spoken by people in Barbados. There are no land based border this country shares with any other country.

Barbados is an island in the Caribbean, northeast of Venezuela. The island is portrayed as the Little Britain of the Caribbean because of its long association as a British colony. The name Barbados comes from a Portuguese explorer named Pedro Campos in 1536, who originally called the island Los Barbados (The Bearded Ones), after the appearance of the island's fig trees, whose long hanging aerial roots resembled beards. Driving is on the left. The bus system is extensive, cheap, and fast - if you're headed to somewhere on the main route - but a car (or mini-moke) is the only way to see many of the out-of-the-way sights. The local currency is the Bajan dollar, but US dollars are accepted just about everywhere in shops and restaurants. The exchange rate is fixed at 1.98 Bajan dollars to the US Dollar but almost everyone uses US$1 = BD$2.

Popular Destinations in Barbados

Administrative regions of Barbados

• Christ Church
• Saint Andrew
• Saint George
• Saint James
• Saint John
• Saint Joseph
• Saint Lucy
• Saint Michael
• Saint Peter
• Saint Philip
• Saint Thomas

About the country

The terrain is relatively flat having rises gently to central highland region. The average density of population is about 680 per km². The climate in Barbados can be described as tropical with rainy season (June to October). Possible natural disasters include infrequent hurricanes periodic landslides

To reach someone Barbados dial +1-246 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".bb". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 115 V - 50 Hz (plugs: A, B). The sign for the locally used currency Dollar is BBD.

Three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (hoist side), gold, and ultramarine 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).

The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African 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

Area
Total (World Rank: 201)	430	sq km
Land (World Rank: 198)	430	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 160)	4.70	%
Comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
97
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 203)	336	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 127)	32.60	%
Arable (World Rank: 39)	25.60	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 85)	2.30	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 160)	4.70	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 148)	50	sq km
Map reference
Central America and the Caribbean
Environment
Issues	- illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers - pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships - soil erosion
Agreement party	- Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Endangered Species - Hazardous Wastes - Law of the Sea - Marine Dumping - Ozone Layer Protection - Ship Pollution - Wetlands
Hazzards	- infrequent hurricanes - periodic landslides
Location
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 179)	292,336
Deathrate (World Rank: 75)	0.86	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 166)	1.17	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 171)	0.28	%
Migration rate (World Rank: 83)	-0.03	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 172)	1.68	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 54)	37.50
Female (World Rank: 57)	39.80
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 184)	26,256
0 14 female (World Rank: 184)	26,266
15 24 male (World Rank: 184)	18,504
15 24 female (World Rank: 184)	18,732
25 54 male (World Rank: 180)	64,198
25 54 female (World Rank: 179)	64,594
55 64 male (World Rank: 171)	18,497
55 64 female (World Rank: 168)	20,770
65 x male (World Rank: 171)	13,927
65 x female (World Rank: 167)	20,592
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 132)	1.02	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 104)	76	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 111)	78	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 98)	73	years
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 23)	6.20
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 65)	96.20	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 70)	23.10	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 48)	99.70	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 152)	915,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 158)	865,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 49)	96.40	%
Source renew (World Rank: 75)	8.10	%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 91)	1,000	bbl / day
Exports (World Rank: 74)	765	bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 97)	2,082,000	bbl
Refined products
Consumption (World Rank: 155)	12,000	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 136)	11,490	bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 92)	20,000,000	m³
Consumption (World Rank: 112)	20,000,000	m³
Carbon footprint
1300000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 22)	7	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 65)	8	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 166)	-6	% of GDP
National symbol
Red Bird of Paradise flower
National colours
yellow
Adjective
Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Noun
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
Background
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. African 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.
Flag description
three equal vertical bands of ultramarine blue (hoist side), gold, and ultramarine 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)

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 177)	4,793,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 152)	1.60	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 97)	17,100	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 186)	1.60	%
Source industry (World Rank: 197)	11.30	%
Source service (World Rank: 13)	87.10	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 177)	142,500
Products
Industries	- component assembly for export - light manufacturing - sugar - tourism
Agriculture	- cotton - sugarcane - vegetables
Exports	- beverages - chemicals - electrical components - manufactures - molasses - other foodstuffs - rum - sugar
Imports	- chemicals - construction materials - consumer goods - electrical components - foodstuffs - fuel - machinery

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 133)	139,948
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 21)	48.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 93)	114.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 166)	231,883
Population (World Rank: 46)	79.50	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 205)	1.00
Road
Total length (World Rank: 176)	1,700
Paved length (World Rank: 130)	1,700

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