conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form: Banladesh
former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence:
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Constitution:
4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014)
election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party orBCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [KhaledaZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; JatiyaParty or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party orLDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry ofWomen's and Children's Affairs)
other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
International organization participation:
ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO,UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500
Flag description:
green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Economy ::Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created higher inflation in the process.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$226.4 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $214 billion (2007 est.)
$201.5 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$84.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 6.2% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 197 $1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 52.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
70.86 million country comparison to the world: 8 note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 2.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 94 33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Budget:
revenues: $8.825 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
39.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 43% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.38% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 37 16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$9.294 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 46 $8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$37.98 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 30 $32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$47.03 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 50 $40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 78 $6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
$3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries:
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate:
6.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Electricity - production:
22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Electricity - consumption:
21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Oil - consumption:
95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - exports:
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - imports:
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - consumption:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 52
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Current account balance:
$1.032 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $856.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.44 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $12.47 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$21.51 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$97 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
Communications ::Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.39 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 67
Telephones - mobile cellular:
45.75 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 22
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached 30 per 100 persons
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
Internet country code:
.bd
Internet hosts:
4,209 (2009) country comparison to the world: 135
Internet users:
556,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 104
Transportation ::Bangladesh
Airports:
17 (2009) country comparison to the world: 139
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 2,597 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km country comparison to the world: 60 broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 239,226 km country comparison to the world: 21 paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
8,370 km country comparison to the world: 17 note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 40 country comparison to the world: 77 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military ::Bangladesh
Military branches:
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 24,946,041
females age 16-49: 31,409,069 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,538,865
female: 1,666,670 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 105
Transnational Issues ::Bangladesh
Disputes - international:
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Barbados (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Barbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography ::Barbados
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 430 sq km country comparison to the world: 200 land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)
per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island
People ::Barbados
Population:
284,589 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 180
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.2% (male 27,383/female 27,352)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 99,829/female 103,049)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 10,464/female 16,512) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.8 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 36.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.383% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
Birth rate:
12.55 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Death rate:
8.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 98
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 143 male: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.94 years country comparison to the world: 95 male: 71.65 years
female: 76.26 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Religions:
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
6.9% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 24
Government ::Barbados
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
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 David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
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 his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court ofAppeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for theJudicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ isthe highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad andTobago
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party orDLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [DavidCOMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; BarbadosUnion of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unionsand Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU,NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU[Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG];National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU,ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BEALE
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN
embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399
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 band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
Economy ::Barbados
Economy - overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues, reflecting its success in the higher-end segment, but the sector will likely face declining revenues with the global economic downturn. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The public debt-to-GDP ratio of about 80% will likely widen as the THOMPSON administration engages in a more expansionary fiscal policy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$5.367 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 157 $5.329 billion (2007 est.)
$5.159 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$3.67 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 187 3.3% (2007 est.)
3.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$18,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 $18,900 (2007 est.)
$18,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
175,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 15%
services: 75% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Population below poverty line:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 24 12% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.03% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 10.8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.637 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 75 $1.478 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$3.701 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 $2.717 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$4.554 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 82 $3.533 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 85 $5.599 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.954 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Electricity - production:
1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Electricity - consumption:
939.9 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
1,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Oil - consumption:
9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Oil - exports:
1,750 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
Oil - imports:
10,390 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 139
Oil - proved reserves:
2.17 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Natural gas - production:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Current account balance:
-$254 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Exports:
$385 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 168
Exports - commodities:
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 15.6%, Jamaica 13.9%, Brazil 9.9%, US 8.7%, UK 7.8%, Saint Lucia 7.3%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2008)
Imports:
$1.586 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 158
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners:
US 27.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 25.6%, Russia 7.1%, Colombia 6.4%,Germany 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$620 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 135 $620 million (2007)
Debt - external:
$668 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 159
Exchange rates:
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Communications ::Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use:
150,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 132
Telephones - mobile cellular:
406,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 160
Telephone system:
general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density approaching 150 per 100 persons
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Internet country code:
.bb
Internet hosts:
235 (2009) country comparison to the world: 185
Internet users:
188,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 139
Transportation ::Barbados
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 212
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 1,600 km country comparison to the world: 176 paved: 1,600 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 85 country comparison to the world: 53 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9)
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bridgetown
Military ::Barbados
Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 75,265
females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,596
females age 16-49: 58,866 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,015
female: 2,007 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)
Transnational Issues ::Barbados
Disputes - international:
Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Belarus (Europe)
Introduction ::Belarus
Background:
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
Geography ::Belarus
Location:
Eastern Europe, east of Poland
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 207,600 sq km country comparison to the world: 85 land: 202,900 sq km
water: 4,700 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 3,306 km
border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime
Terrain:
generally flat and contains much marshland
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m
highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m
Natural resources:
forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay
Land use:
arable land: 26.77%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 72.63% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,310 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
58 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):