Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor-general. Prime minister : Freundel Stuart
Population
5,485,998
287,733
Life Expectancy
56.550 years
74.520 years
Capital City
Bridgetown
Largest city
Freetown (population: 802,639)
Bridgetown (population: 98,511)
Human Development Index
0.329
0.889
GDP per capita
$23,700 US
Literacy Rate
35.1%
99.7%
Corruption Perception Index
1.9
7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
13.2%
13.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
12.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
constitutional democracy
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
30 November 1966 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
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.)
Languages
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
English
Exports
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
External Debt
$668,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area
71,740 km sq
430 km sq
Coastline
402 km
97 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
