A complete country overview of Barbados is described in the below table.
Facts at a Glance
Status | Independent (November 30th 1966) |
Capital | Bridgetown |
Nationality | Barbadian |
Official Language | English |
Population | 272,229 |
Land Area | 431Km / 166sq.miles |
Time Zone | EST +1/0; GMT -4/-5 |
Currency | Barbadian Dollar (BDS$) |
Exchange Rate | Exchange rate to US$: US$1 = BDS$1.98 |
Literacy | 97.6% |
Life Expectancy at birth (years) | 77 |
Country Phone Code | 246 |
Unemployment (2004) | 9.8% |
Labour Force (skilled and unskilled) | 146,300 |
Major Industries | Tourism, Financial Services, Agriculture, Light Manufacturing |
Principal Exports | Tourism, Financial Services, Sugar, Rum, Chemicals, Electrical Components |
Principal Imports | Machinery, Food and Beverages, Construction Materials |
Major Trading Partners | USA, Canada, Caricom*, Japan, UK | *Barbados is a founding member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). Other member States are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and, most recently, Haiti (July 2002).
Barbados is in the same time zone as North America and four hours behind the U.K. and the rest of Western Europe when there is no observance of Daylight Savings Time.
Source: Barbados Statistical Service, *Digest of Educational Statistics.
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