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Geography of Barbados

Location:Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:97 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:50 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:easternmost Caribbean island

Barbados Quickstats

  • Population: 280,946 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 431 sq km
  • Density: 647 /km² (15th)
  • GDP (total): $4.9 billion (149th)
  • GDP (per capita): $17,610 (39th)
  • Literacy: 99.7%

Languages of Barbados

Useful to know

  • Currency: Barbadian dollar ($) (BBD)
  • Dial code: +1-246

International Trade

External sites

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