| Barbados
Country Profile |
| Barbados, the most easterly of the Caribbean islands, lies south of St Lucia, east of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and north of Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados is a comparatively flat island, rising in a series of terraced tablelands to Mount Hillaby at 336m. The northeast (Scotland District) is broken, eroded and rocky. The rest of the island is coral limestone crossed with deep river-bed gullies which fill with water during heavy rain. There are no permanent rivers. On the east coast, much of the shoreline is rocky, pounded by a strong surf; elsewhere, natural coral reefs surround turquoise seas and beaches of white sand. |
| GEOGRAPHY |
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| Full Name |
Barbados |
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| Geographic Coordinates |
13 10 N, 59 32 W |
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| Capital and Largest City |
Bridgetown (90,000, 2014 est) |
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| Area |
430 sq km (166 sq miles) |
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| Terrain |
Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region |
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| Climate |
Tropical |
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| Internet domain |
.bb |
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| International dialling code |
+1 246 |
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| MAP |
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| PEOPLE & SOCIETY |
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| Nationality |
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) |
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| Population |
290,604 (July 2015 est.) |
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| Annual Growth Rate |
0.31% (2015 est.) |
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| Ethnic Groups |
black 92.4%, white 2.7%, mixed 3.1%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)
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| Major Languages |
English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings) |
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| Major Religions |
Protestant 66.4% (includes Anglican 23.9%, other Pentecostal 19.5%, Adventist 5.9%, Methodist 4.2%, Wesleyan 3.4%, Nazarene 3.2%, Church of God 2.4%, Baptist 1.8%, Moravian 1.2%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 3.8%, other Christian 5.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness 2.0%, other 3.4%), Rastafarian 1%, other 1.5%, none 20.6%, unspecified 1.2% (2010 est.) |
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| Adult Literacy |
99.7% |
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| Infant Mortality Rate |
10.42 deaths/1,000 live births |
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| Life expectancy |
Total population - 75.18 years; male – 72.82 years; female –77.56 years (2015 est.) |
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| GOVERNMENT |
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| Type |
Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth. |
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| Independence |
30 November 1966 (from the United Kingdom) |
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| Constitution |
30 November 1966 |
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| Executive Branch |
Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor-General Dame Sandra MASON (since 8 Jnauary 2018)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Mia Amor MOTTLEY (since 25 May 2018)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; Governor-General appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the Prime Minister recommends the Deputy Prime Minister. |
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| 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 the discretion of the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) | Learn more »
Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 21 February 2013 (next to be called in 2018) | Learn more »
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - BLP 74.6%, DLP 2.6.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party - BLP 30, DLP 0 | Learn more » |
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| Judicial Branch |
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the High Court with 8 justices) and the Court of Appeal (consists of the Chief Justice and president of the court and 4 justices; note - Barbados, a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice, replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final court of appeal
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the prime minister and opposition leader of Parliament; other justices appointed by the governor-general on the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 5-member independent body consisting of the Supreme Court chief justice, the commission head, and Governor-General appointees recommended by the Prime Minister; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 65
Subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts |
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| ELECTORAL SYSTEM |
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| Legislature |
Parliament of Barbados |
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| Parliament Name |
House of Assembly of Barbados |
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| Structure of Parliament |
Bicameral |
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| Members of Parliament |
30 members elected at least every five years by universal adult suffrage |
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| Electoral Law |
Barbados Constitution (1966); Barbados Representation of the People's Act |
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| Constituencies |
30 single-member constituencies. |
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| Voting System |
In the House of Assembly, 30 members are elected by simple majority vote (first past the post).in single-member constituencies |
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| Term of Office |
5 years |
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| Voter Requirements |
- Age: 18 years
- British Commonwealth citizenship
- Ordinary domicile or residence in the country during the preceding 12 months
- Disqualifications: insanity, undischarged bankruptcy, death sentence or imprisonment exceeding 12 months, allegiance to a foreign State
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| Suffrage |
Universal at 18 years of age |
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| Candidate Eligibility and Requirements |
- Age: 21 years
- British Commonwealth citizenship
- Ability to speak and read the English language
- Support of six electors of the constituency
- Deposit of BBD 500, reimbursed if candidate obtains at least 1/8 of the votes cast
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| Electoral Authority |
Supervisor of Elections |
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| Last Parliamentary Election |
21 February 2013 | Learn more » |
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| Next Parliamentary Election |
May 2018 | Learn more » |
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| Number of Registered Electors |
Approximately 255,833 (2018) |
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| ECONOMY |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) |
USD $4.636 billion (2015 est.) |
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| GDP Growth Rate |
0.5% (2015 est.) |
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| GDP Per Capita |
USD $16,600 (2015 est.) |
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| Inflation Rate |
0.5% (2015 est.) |
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| Unemployment |
10.8% (2015 est.) |
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| Main Exports |
Manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals, electrical components |
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| Monetary Unit |
1 Barbados dollar (BBD) = 100 cents |
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| Official Exchange Rate |
BBD 2.00 = USD 1.00 |
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| Key |
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Bajan Free Party |
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NDP = National Democratic Party |
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United Progressive Party |
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Barbados Integrity Movement |
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People's Democratic Congress |
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WPB = Workers Party of Barbados |
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Barbados
Labour Party |
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PEP = People's Empowerment Party |
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Independent Candidate |
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Democratic
Labour Party |
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PPA = People's Political Alliance |
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*incumbent |
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Kingdom Government of Barbados |
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Solutions Barbados |
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** Political Leader |
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| Sources |
| Barbados Electoral and Boundaries Commission |
| Bajan Free Party (2018). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/Bajan-Free-Party-BFP-HonAlex-MitchellEl-1767331239973521/ |
| Barbados Integrity Movement (2018). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/barbdaosintegritymovement/?ref=py_c |
| Barbados Labour Party. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.blp.org.bb/ |
| Coalition of United Party. (2018) Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/alexmitchell.el/ |
| Democratic Labour Party. (2018). Retrieved from http://dlpbarbados.org/site/ |
| Solutions Barbados. (2018). Retrieved from https://solutionsbarbados.com/ |
| United Progressive Party. (2018). Retrieved from https://uppbarbados.org/ |
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