Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the primeminister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly:
election last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996);
results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD; Barbados Labor Party
(BLP), Owen ARTHUR; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
Other political or pressure groups:
Barbados Workers Union, Leroy TROTMAN; People's Progressive Movement,
Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE; Clement
Payne Labor Union, David COMMISSIONG
Member of:
ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Rudi Valentine WEBSTER
chancery:
2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 939–9200 through 9202
consulate(s) general:
New York
consulate(s):
Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
embassy:
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address:
P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone:
(809) 436–4950
FAX:
(809) 429–5246
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, 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)
@Barbados, Economy
Overview:
A per capita income of $8,700 gives Barbados one of the highest
standards of living of all the small island states of the eastern
Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of
sugar cane and related activities. In recent years, however, the
economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist
industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary
source of foreign exchange. The economy slowed in 1990–92 as
Bridgetown's difficulty in financing its deficits caused it to exert
control over domestic demands
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
−3% (1992)
National product per capita:
$8,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
23% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:
$547 million
expenditures:
$620 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92–93)
Exports:
$158 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical components, clothing
partners:
US 13%, UK 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 7.8%
Imports:
$465 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
electrical components
partners:
US 33%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 5%
External debt:
$652 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate −1.3% (1991); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
152,100 kW
production:
540 million kWh
consumption
