3 GeoFroggy

Barbados

Continent:

Geography

People &
Society

Government

Economy

Energy

Communications

Military &
Security

Transportation

Terrorism

Transnational Issues
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Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Barbados

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

International Law Organization Participation

Citizenship

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 Fruendel STUART (since 23 October 2010)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Elections: the monarchy 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 on 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2012) 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 of Appeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Political Parties and Leaders

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Freundel STUART]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and 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]

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)

National Anthem

Lyrics:

Year

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)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador John BEALE
  • Chancery
    2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 939-9200
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 332-7467
  • Consulate(s) General
    Miami, New York
  • Consulate(s)
    Los Angeles

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires D. Brent HARDT
  • 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
  • FAX
    [1] (246) 431-0179

International Organization Participation

  • ACP
  • AOSIS
  • 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
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