ture--products: sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Exports: $280 million (1997)

Exports--commodities: sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and
beverages, chemicals, electrical components, clothing

Exports--partners: Caricom 34.8%, US 18.4%, UK 16.6%, Canada 4.4%
(1996)

Imports: $982 million (1997)

Imports--commodities: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs,
construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports--partners: US 40.5%, Caricom 14.7%, UK 8.4%, Canada 5%
(1996)

Debt--external: $581.4 million (1996)

Economic aid--recipient: $9.1 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1--2.0000 (fixed
rate pegged to the dollar)

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 87,343 (1991 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: island wide automatic telephone system
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (in addition, there are two
cable channels) (1997)

Televisions: 69,350 (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,650 km
paved: 1,582 km
unpaved: 68 km (1998 est.)

Ports and harbors: Bridgetown, Speightstown (Port Charles Marina)

Merchant marine:
total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 641,550 GRT/1,087,042
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 26, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 4,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries:
Canada owns 2 ships, Hong Kong 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force (includes Ground
Forces and Coast Guard), Royal Barbados Police Force

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 72,111 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 49,600 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: one of many Caribbean transshipment points for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe

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