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Red
Sea Management provides Barbados offshore incorporation, Barbados offshore asset protection and a full range of services. |
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Report on Barbados
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| Background:
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The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627.
Its economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses
production through most of the 20th century. In the 1990s, tourism and
manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. |
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| Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 10 N, 59 32 W
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| Map
references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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| Area -
comparative:
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2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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| Land
boundaries: total:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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97 km
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| Maritime
claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate:
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tropical; rainy season (June to October)
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| Terrain:
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relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
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| Elevation
extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
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| Natural
resources:
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petroleum, fish, natural gas
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| Land use:
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arable land: 37%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 46% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land:
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NA sq km
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| Natural
hazards:
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infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
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Environment - current issues:
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pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity
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| Geography
- note:
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easternmost Caribbean island
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Population: |
275,330 (July 2001 est.)
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| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 21.68% (male 30,122; female 29,572)
15-64 years: 69.44% (male 93,283; female 97,915)
65 years and over: 8.88% (male 9,432; female 15,006) (2001 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.46% (2001 est.)
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| Birth
rate: |
13.47 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Death
rate: |
8.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Net
migration rate: |
-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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| Infant
mortality rate: |
12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
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| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 73.25 years
male: 70.66 years
female: 75.86 years (2001 est.)
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| Total
fertility rate: |
1.64 children born/woman (2001 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.17% (1999 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
1,800 (1999 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS
- deaths:
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130 (1999 est.)
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Nationality: |
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
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| Ethnic
groups:
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black 80%, white 4%, other 16%
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Religions:
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Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
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Languages: |
English
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| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.4%
male: 98%
female: 96.8% (1995 est.) |
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| Country
name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the
Commonwealth
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| Capital: |
Bridgetown
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Administrative divisions:
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11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James,
Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter,
Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given
parish status
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|
Independence: |
30 November 1966 (from UK)
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| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
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Constitution:
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30 November 1966
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| Legal
system: |
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
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| Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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|
Executive branch:
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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 Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 6
September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Billie MILLER (since 6
September 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice
of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by the governor
general |
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Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed
by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (28 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next
to be held by January 2004)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2
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| Judicial
branch:
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Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service
Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)
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| Political
parties and leaders:
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Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or
DLP [David THOMPSON]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Richard
HAYNES]
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| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union
[David COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]
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International organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO,
ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marcia
BERNICHT
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad
Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA
34055
telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950
FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246
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| Flag
description: |
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with
the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; 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
- overview:
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Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane
cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has
diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The start of the Port
Charles Marina project in Speightstown helped the tourism industry
continue to expand in 1996-2000. Offshore finance and information
services are important foreign exchange earners, and there is also a
light manufacturing sector. The government continues its efforts to
reduce unemployment, encourage direct foreign investment, and
privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. Growth should remain
steady in 2001, with new tourist facilities a plus factor. |
| GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $4 billion (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
real growth rate: |
2.8% (2000 est.)
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| GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 4%
industry: 16%
services: 80% (1998)
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Population below poverty line: |
NA%
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| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (2000 est.)
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| Labor
force: |
136,000 (1998 est.)
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| Labor
force - by occupation:
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services 75%, industry 15%, agriculture 10% (1996 est.)
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Unemployment rate: |
11% (1999 est.)
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| Budget:
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revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $750.6 million, including capital expenditures of
$126.3 million (FY97/98 est.)
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Industries: |
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0.8% (1996)
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| Electricity
- production:
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718 million kWh (1999)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
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Electricity - consumption:
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667.7 million kWh (1999)
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (1999)
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999)
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
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| Exports: |
$260 million (2000 est.)
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| Exports -
commodities: |
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components, clothing
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| Exports -
partners: |
UK 14.8%, US 11.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 7.6%, Venezuela 6.1%, Jamaica
5.8% (1998)
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| Imports: |
$800.3 million (2000 est.)
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| Imports -
commodities: |
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials,
chemicals, fuel, electrical components
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| Imports -
partners: |
US 30.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Japan 8.3%, UK 7.7%, Canada 2.2%
(1998)
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| Debt -
external: |
$425 million (2000 est.)
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| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$9.1 million (1995)
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| Currency:
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Barbadian dollar (BBD)
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| Currency
code: |
BBD
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| Exchange
rates:
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Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US
dollar)
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| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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108,000 (1997)
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
8,013 (1997)
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Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia
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| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
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| Radios: |
237,000 (1997)
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (plus two cable channels) (1997)
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Televisions: |
76,000 (1997)
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| Internet
country code: |
.bb
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| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
19 (2000)
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| Internet
users: |
6,000 (2000)
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| Railways:
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0 km
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| Highways: |
total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,578 km
unpaved: 22 km (1998)
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Waterways: |
none
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| Ports and
harbors: |
Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)
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| Merchant
marine: |
total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 671,545 GRT/1,125,635
DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 28, combination bulk 1, container
2, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a
flag of convenience: Canada 2, Hong Kong 1 (2000 est.)
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| Airports: |
1 (2000 est.)
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| Airports -
with paved runways: |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)
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| Military
branches: |
Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground Forces and Coast Guard),
Royal Barbados Police Force
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| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 78,069 (2001 est.)
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| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 53,576 (2001 est.)
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| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA
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| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA%
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| Disputes
- international: |
none
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| Illicit
drugs: |
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for
Europe and the US |
