.7% of
GDP (FY93/94)

________________________________________________________________________

BARBADOS

@Barbados:Geography

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total area: 430 sq km
land area: 430 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington,
DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 97 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Natural resources: petroleum, fishing, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 77%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 9%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 14%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by
ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens
contamination of aquifers
natural hazards: hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic
landslides
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Note: easternmost Caribbean island

@Barbados:People

Population: 256,395 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (female 30,175; male 31,507)
15-64 years: 66% (female 86,103; male 82,727)
65 years and over: 10% (female 15,849; male 10,034) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.24% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.45 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.16 years
male: 71.47 years
female: 77.06 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s)
adjective: Barbadian

Ethnic divisions: African 80%, European 4%, other 16%

Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%,
other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)

Languages: English

Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1970)
total po