| Capital |
Bridgetown |
| Total Area |
166.02 sq mi
430.00 sq km
(2.5 times the size of Washington, DC) |
| Population |
274,540 (July 2000 est.) |
| Estimated Population in 2050 |
284,494 |
| Languages |
English |
| Literacy |
97.4% total, 98.0% male, 96.8% female (1995 est.) |
| Religions |
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist
7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% |
| Life Expectancy |
70.43 male, 75.6 female (2000 est.) |
| Government Type |
parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state
within the Commonwealth |
| Currency |
1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents |
| GDP (per capita) |
$11,200 (1998 est.) |
| Labor Force (by occupation) |
services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.) |
| Industry |
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
for export |
| Agriculture |
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton |
| Arable Land |
37% |
| Exports |
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages,
chemicals, electrical components, clothing |
| Imports |
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction
materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components |
| Natural Resources |
petroleum, fish, natural gas |
| Current Environmental Issues |
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by
ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers |
| Telephones (main lines in use) |
90,000 (1995) |
| Telephones (mobile cellular) |
4,614 (1995) |
|