What are the Key Facts of Barbados?

Where is Barbados?

Barbados is an island country that is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. This country is situated in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean region’s West Indies. It is located in the northeast of Venezuela.

What is the Geography of Barbados?

Barbados is spread across a total area of 439 sq. km (169 sq. mi), out of which 430 sq. km (166 sq. mi) is land area and 0 sq. km (0 sq. mi) is water area. The country has no land boundaries but 97 km (60 mi) of coastline. Here is Barbados Physical Map showing all physical feature of the country.

The terrain is relatively flat and the landscape rises gently to central highland region. While Mount Hillaby at 336 m (1,102 ft) is the highest elevation point of the country, the Atlantic Ocean at 0 m (0 ft) is the lowest elevation point. Besides Hillaby, another major mountain in Barbados is Dover Beach.

Barbados is the Caribbean’s easternmost island. While its neighbours to the west have more mountainous landscape, this country has a relatively flatter terrain. As you approach the western part of the country, the land starts to rise gently from the coastal lowlands to the rolling hills. Mount Hillaby, the highest point in this island country is located in the central highland region.

The terrain rises sharply to form low hills in the eastern third of the country. These low hills shadow the coastal areas. There are a few small rivers located in this country and all of them pass through the central and northern hilly areas. Some of the major rivers in this country include Bruce Vale River, Indian River, the Constitution River, Long Pond River, Joes River, etc.

A series of small streams are created due to rainfall. Coral reefs circle Barbados’s offshore.

A tropical climate is found in the easternmost island of the West Indies, Barbados. This climate is characterized by hot and humid weather, which persists throughout the year. However, during December-April, the climate becomes a bit cooler and therefore, more pleasant. During May-October, the climate becomes hot and muggy. The breezes temper the heat.

Round the year, there is not much variation in the temperature. The annual rainfall level in the coastal areas is around 1,200-1,400 mm (47-55 in). However, the inland areas get slightly more rainfall. Per month rainfall in Bridgetown during June-November is over 100 mm (4 in). September-November is the wettest period of the year. During this time of the year, per month rain is around 170-180 mm (6.7-7.1 in). During the driest period (starts in February and continues till April), per month rainfall comes down to just 35-50 mm (1.4-2 in).

Rainfall generally takes place either in forms of thundershowers or downpours. As they take place for a shorter period of time, Barbados gets a lot of sunlight.

The sea remains warm in Barbados round-the-year and the travellers can swim throughout the year. The country may get affected by tropical storms and cyclones known as hurricanes because of it being located in the Caribbean. Though June-November is the time when hurricanes pass through the Caribbean island, August-October is the time when hurricanes are most likely to affect Barbados.

The best time to visit Barbados is February-April.

What is the Economy of Barbados?

Barbados is one of the wealthiest nations among the Eastern Caribbean countries. Though the economy has been dependent upon sugarcane and related activities for long, the government has stressed upon diversifying the economy. That’s why tourism and light industries are growing rapidly in the country.

The economy of Barbados grew at a rate of 1% in 2017 to reach US$ 4.673 billion. The major export items are refined petroleum, gold, hard liquor, orthopaedic appliances, packaged medicaments, etc. The major import items of Barbados are computers, refined petroleum, packaged medicaments, cars, passenger or cargo ships, etc.

The unemployment rate was 9.57% in 2018, a drop of 2.6% from 12.17% in 2014. As per the document called “Poverty and Income Distribution in Barbados” by Inter-American Development Bank (1998), the rate of poverty was 13.9% (with the poverty line demarcated at BDS$ 5,503 per capita per year). Reports say around 7,000 households were living below this income level.

What is the Transportation System of Barbados?

Barbados is coming up as a preferred tourist destination. It has developed all types of transport facilities to move inside the country as well as move-in/out of the country. There is over 1,700 km (1,056 mi) of roadways available in Barbados.

To move around the country, both public transport and private buses or vans are present. Barbados Transport Board runs the government buses, which can be recognized by their blue colour with yellow stripes. There are three terminals on the island. To facilitate tourism, scenic tours are conducted by the Transport Board on brightly coloured open-sided buses.

Private minibuses are also there, which you can use for local transportation. ZR vans are also a popular mode of transport in the country.

The country has 1 operational airport (Grantley Adams International Airport). It is a paved one. While Bridgetown is the major seaport, there are 121 merchant marine ships.

What International Organizations is Barbados part of?

WTO, UN, WHO, ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WIPO, WMO

Related Links:

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