Barbados. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.

England Description Barbados 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. Location Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela   Geographic Coordinates 13 10 N, 59 32 W Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Coast line 0 km Climate 97 km Terrain Barbados tropical; rainy season (June to October) Natural Resources Barbados relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region Irrigated land petroleum, fish, natural gas Total Renewable Water Resources 50 sq km (2003) Natural Hazards 0.1 cu km (2003) Environment Currentissues infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides Geography Note pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers Population Barbados easternmost Caribbean island Population growth rate 285,653 (July 2010 est.) Birth Rate 0.374% (2010 est.) Death Rate 12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 1.68 children born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 1.2% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths fewer than 100 (2007 est.) Religions black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% Languages 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.) Education Expenditures English Government Type 6.9% of GDP (2005) Administrative Divisions parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm Independence 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 National Holiday 30 November 1966 (from the UK) Constitution Independence Day, 30 November (1966) Legal System 30-Nov-66 Suffrage English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Legislative Branch 18 years of age; universal Political Partie Sand Leaders 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) Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG] International Organization Participation 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 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 Economy Overview 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) GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) 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 faced declining revenues in 2009 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 rose to over 100% in 2009, largely because a sharp slowdown in tourism and financial services led to a wide budget deficit. GDP (Official Exchange Rate) $5.278 billion (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate $3.637 billion (2009 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) -2.8% (2009 est.) Labor Force $18,500 (2009 est.) Unemployment Rate 175,000 (2007 est.) Population Below Poverty Line 10.7% (2003 est.) Distribution Of Family Income NA% Unvestment Gross Fixed NA (2009) Inflation Rrate 5.5% (2007 est.) Central Bank Discount Rate 10% (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate 10.03% (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $1.637 billion (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $3.701 billion (31 December 2008) Stock Of Domestic Credit $4.554 billion (31 December 2008) Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares $NA (31 December 2008) Agriculture - Products sugarcane, vegetables, cotton Industries tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export Industrial Production Growth Rate -3.2% (2000 est.) Electricity Production 1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Consumption 939.9 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 0 kWh (2008 est.) Oil Production 1,100 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Consumption 9,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Exports 1,750 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Imports 10,390 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 2.17 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Production 29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 29.17 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves 141.6 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Current Account Balance -$254 million (2007 est.) Exports $385 million (2006) 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 8.6%, UK 7.8%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2008) Imports $1.586 billion (2006) Imports Commodities consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components Imports Partners US 26.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 25.4%, Russia 7%, Colombia 6.4%, Germany 4.1% (2008) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold $620 million (2007) Debt - External $668 million (2003) Radio Broadcast Stations 150,000 (2008) Television Broadcast Stations 406,000 (2008) Internet Country Code AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (2009) Airports 235 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)

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