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Introduction |
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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.
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Geography |
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Location: |
Caribbean, island
in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
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Geographic
coordinates: |
13 10 N, 59 32 W
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Map references: |
Central America and
the Caribbean
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Area: |
total: 431
sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area -
comparative: |
2.5 times the size
of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: |
0 km
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Coastline: |
97 km
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate: |
tropical; rainy
season (June to October)
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Terrain: |
relatively flat;
rises gently to central highland region
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Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
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Natural
resources: |
petroleum, fish,
natural gas
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Land use: |
arable land:
37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
10 sq km (1998
est.)
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Natural hazards: |
infrequent
hurricanes; periodic landslides
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Environment -
current issues: |
pollution of
coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion;
illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
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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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography -
note: |
easternmost
Caribbean island
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People |
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Population: |
279,254 (July 2005
est.)
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Age structure: |
0-14 years:
20.6% (male 28,813/female 28,634)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 96,590/female 100,622)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,432/female 15,163) (2005
est.)
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Median age: |
total: 34.15
years
male: 32.99 years
female: 35.28 years (2005 est.)
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Population
growth rate: |
0.33% (2005 est.)
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Birth rate: |
12.83 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Death rate: |
9.17 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Net migration
rate: |
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio: |
at birth:
1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality
rate: |
total: 12.5
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy
at birth: |
total
population: 71.41 years
male: 69.46 years
female: 73.39 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility
rate: |
1.65 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate: |
1.5% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
2,500 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
less than 200 (2003
est.)
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Nationality: |
noun:
Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
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Ethnic groups: |
black 90%, white
4%, Asian and mixed 6%
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Religions: |
Protestant 67%
(Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman
Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
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Languages: |
English
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Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.4%
male: 98%
female: 96.8% (1995 est.)
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Government |
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Country name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
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Government type: |
parliamentary
democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth
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Capital: |
Bridgetown
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Administrative
divisions: |
11 parishes; Christ
Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John,
Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint
Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given
parish status
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Independence: |
30 November 1966
(from UK)
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National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
30 November (1966)
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Constitution: |
30 November 1966
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Legal system: |
English common law;
no judicial review of legislative acts
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal
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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 Owen Seymour ARTHUR
(since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY
(since 26 May 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister
elections: none; 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
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Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by
the governor general) 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 21 May 2003
(next to be held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court of
Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for
the Judicial and Legal Services)
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Political
parties and leaders: |
Barbados Labor
Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Clyde
Mascoll]
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Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Barbados Workers
Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David
COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY];
Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]
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International
organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom,
CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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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 trident
head represents independence and a break with the past (the
colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
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Economy |
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Economy -
overview: |
Historically, the
Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation
and related activities, but production in recent years has
diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance
and information services are important foreign exchange earners.
The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to
encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining
state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03
mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive
in 2004, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately
improved.
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GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $4.569 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real
growth rate: |
2.3% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $16,400 (2004 est.)
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GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
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Labor force: |
128,500 (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by
occupation: |
agriculture 10%,
industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)
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Unemployment
rate: |
10.7% (2003 est.)
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Population below
poverty line: |
NA
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Household income
or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
-0.5% (2003 est.)
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Budget: |
revenues:
$847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
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Agriculture -
products: |
sugarcane,
vegetables, cotton
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Industries: |
tourism, sugar,
light manufacturing, component assembly for export
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Industrial
production growth rate: |
-3.2% (2000 est.)
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Electricity -
production: |
800 million kWh
(2002)
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Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity -
consumption: |
744 million kWh
(2002)
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Electricity -
exports: |
0 kWh (2002)
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Electricity -
imports: |
0 kWh (2002)
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Oil -
production: |
1,271 bbl/day (2001
est.)
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Oil -
consumption: |
10,900 bbl/day
(2001 est.)
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Oil - exports: |
NA
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Oil - imports: |
NA
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Oil - proved
reserves: |
1.254 million bbl
(1 January 2002)
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Natural gas -
production: |
29.17 million cu m
(2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
consumption: |
29.17 million cu m
(2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
proved reserves: |
70.79 million cu m
(1 January 2002)
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Exports: |
$206 million (2002)
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Exports -
commodities: |
sugar and molasses,
rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
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Exports -
partners: |
Trinidad and Tobago
14.2%, US 13.9%, UK 13%, Jamaica 7.7%, Saint Lucia 5.8%, Spain
5.8%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.6% (2004)
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Imports: |
$1.039 billion
(2002)
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Imports -
commodities: |
consumer goods,
machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
electrical components
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Imports -
partners: |
US 31.6%, Trinidad
and Tobago 21.6%, UK 7.9%, Japan 5.3% (2004)
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Debt - external: |
$668 million (2003)
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Currency (code): |
Barbadian dollar
(BBD)
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Currency code: |
BBD
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Exchange rates: |
Barbadian dollars
per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000)
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Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31 March
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Communications |
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Telephones -
main lines in use: |
134,000 (2003)
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Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
140,000 (2003)
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Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth
stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to
Trinidad and Saint Lucia
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Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 2, FM 6,
shortwave 0 (2004)
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Radios: |
237,000 (1997)
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Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (plus two cable
channels) (2004)
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Televisions: |
76,000 (1997)
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Internet country
code: |
.bb
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Internet hosts: |
204 (2003)
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Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): |
19 (2000)
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Internet users: |
100,000 (2003)
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Transportation |
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Highways: |
total: 1,600
km
paved: 1,578 km
unpaved: 22 km (2002)
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Ports and
harbors: |
Bridgetown
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Merchant marine: |
total: 58
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 31, chemical tanker 6,
passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2,
specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 53 (Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 12,
Greece 11, Lebanon 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 17, UAE 1, United
Kingdom 7)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
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Airports: |
1 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Military |
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Military
branches: |
Royal Barbados
Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005)
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Military
manpower - military age and obligation: |
18 years of age for
voluntary military service; volunteers at earlier age with
parental consent; no conscription (2001)
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Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 18-49:
71,330 (2005 est.)
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Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
51,298 (2005 est.)
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Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
NA
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Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA
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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 (2005)
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Transnational Issues |
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Disputes -
international: |
in 2005, Barbados
and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international
arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging
whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and
Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and
the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other
Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island
sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which
permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a
large portion of the Caribbean Sea
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Illicit drugs: |
one of many
Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe
and the US; offshore financial center
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