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| Barbados
PROFILE Official Name: Geography People Government Economy PEOPLE HISTORY From the arrival of the first British settlers in 1627-28 until independence
in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted British control. Nevertheless,
Barbados always enjoyed a large measure of local autonomy. Its House of
Assembly, which began meeting in 1639, is the third-oldest legislative body in
the Western Hemisphere, preceded only by Bermuda's legislature and the Virginia
House of Burgesses. As the sugar industry developed into the main commercial enterprise, Barbados
was divided into large plantation estates which replace the small holdings of
the early British settlers. Some of the displaced farmers relocated to British
colonies in North America. To work the plantations, slaves were brought from
Africa; the slave trade ceased a few years before the abolition of slavery
throughout the British empire in 1834. Local politics were dominated by plantation owners and merchants of British
descent. It was not until the 1930s that a movement for political rights was
begun by the descendants of emancipated slaves. One of the leaders of this
movement, Sir Grantley Adams, founded the Barbados Labor Party in 1938. Progress toward more democratic government for Barbados was made in 1951,
when universal adult suffrage was introduced. This was followed by steps toward
increased self-government, and in 1961, Barbados achieved internal autonomy. From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of 10 members of the West Indies
Federation, and Sir Grantley Adams served as its first and only prime minister.
When the federation was terminated, Barbados reverted to its former status as a
self-governing colony. Following several attempts to form another federation
composed of Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands, Barbados negotiated
its own independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom in
June 1966. After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados became an
independent state within the British Commonwealth on November 30, 1966. Under its constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the
British system. The governor general represents the Monarch. Control of the
government rests with the cabinet, headed by the prime minister and responsible
to the Parliament. The bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and Senate. The 28
members of the House are elected by universal suffrage to 5-year terms.
Elections may be called at any time the government wishes to seek a new mandate
or if the government suffers a vote of no-confidence in Parliament. The Senate's
21 members are appointed by the governor general--12 with the advice of the
prime minister, two with the advice of the leader of the opposition, and seven
at the governor general's discretion. Barbados has an independent judiciary composed of magistrate courts, which
are statutorily authorized, and a Supreme Court, which is constitutionally
mandated. The Supreme Court consists of the high court and the court of appeals,
each with four judges. The Chief Justice serves on both the high court and the
court of appeals. The court of last resort is the Judicial Committee of Her
Majesty's Privy Council in London, whose decisions are binding on all parties.
Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister after consultation with the leader of the
opposition. The island is divided into 11 parishes and the city of Bridgetown for
administrative purposes. There is no local government. Barbados' defense
expenditures account for about 2.5% of the government budget. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS The ruling BLP was decisively returned to power in January 1999 elections,
winning 26 seats in the Parliament with the DLP only winning two seats. The
Prime Minister, Owen Arthur, who also serves as Minister of Finance, has given a
high priority to economic development. The main opposition party, the DLP, is
led by David Thompson. Principal Government Officials Barbados maintains an embassy in the United States located at 2144 Wyoming
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-939-9200), a consulate general in New
York City at 800 2nd Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212-867-8435),
and a consulate general in Miami at 150 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1270, Coral
Gables, FL33134 (tel. 305-442-1994). ECONOMY The main factors responsible for the improvement in economic activity include
an expansion in the number of tourist arrivals, an increase in manufacturing,
and an increase in sugar production. Recently, offshore banking and financial
services also have become an important source of foreign exchange and economic
growth. Economic growth has led to net increases in employment in the tourism sector,
as well as in construction and other services sub-sectors of the economy. The
public service remains Barbados' largest single employer. Total labor force has
increased from 126,000 in 1993 to 140,0000 persons in 2000, and unemployment has
dropped significantly from over 20% in the early 1990s to 9.3% at the end of
2000. FOREIGN RELATIONS On July 4, 1973, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Jamaica signed a
treaty in Trinidad to found the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).
In May 1974, most of the remaining English-speaking Caribbean states joined
CARICOM, which now has 14 members. Barbados also is a member of the Caribbean
Development Bank, established in 1970, with headquarters in Bridgetown. The
eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System, which associates Barbados with six
other island nations, also is headquartered in Barbados. In July 1994, Barbados
joined the newly established Association of Caribbean States (ACS). As a member of CARICOM, Barbados supported efforts by the United States to
implement UN Security Council Resolution 940, designed to facilitate the
departure of Haiti's de facto authorities from power. The country agreed to
contribute personnel to the multinational force, which restored the
democratically elected government of Haiti in October 1994. In May 1997, Prime Minister Owen Arthur hosted President Clinton and 14 other
Caribbean leaders during the first-ever U.S.-regional summit in Bridgetown,
Barbados. The summit strengthened the basis for regional cooperation on justice
and counternarcotics issues, finance and development, and trade. Barbados has diplomatic missions headed by resident ambassadors or high
commissioners in Canada, the U.K., the U.S., and Venezuela, and at the European
Union (Brussels) and the UN. It also has resident consuls general in Toronto,
Miami, and New York City. Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Canada, Colombia, China,
Guatemala, the U.K., the U.S., and Venezuela have ambassadors or high
commissioners resident in Barbados. U.S.-BARBADIAN RELATIONS The U.S. and Barbados have had friendly bilateral relations since Barbados'
independence in 1966. The U.S. has supported the government's efforts to expand
the country's economic base and to provide a higher standard of living for its
citizens. Barbados is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin InitiativeU.S.
assistance is channeled primarily through multilateral agencies such as the
Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the recently opened USAID
satellite office in Bridgetown. Barbados also receives counternarcotics assistance and is the beneficiary of
the U.S. military's exercise-related and humanitarian assistance construction
program. Barbados and U.S. authorities cooperate closely in the fight against
narcotics trafficking and other forms of transnational crime. In 1996, the U.S.
and Barbados signed a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) and an updated
extradition treaty covering all common offenses, including conspiracy and
organized crime. A maritime law enforcement agreement was signed in 1997. A popular tourist destination, Barbados had almost than 518,000 visitors in
2000. In addition, Barbados had nearly 433,000 cruise ship passenger arrivals,
the majority of whom were U.S citizens. Approximately 3,000 Americans reside in
the country. Principal U.S. Embassy Officials The U.S. embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel: 246-436-4950;fax:
246-429-5246). OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION Caribbean/Latin American Action
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport information can be obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center's automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648). It also is available on the internet. Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. |
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