Barbados is predominantly composed of Coral and Limestone. It is tropical with constant tradewinds and contains of some marshes and Mangrove swamps. Some parts of the island's interior are also dotted with large sugarcane estates and wide pastures with many good views to the sea.
[image] [image] Flag of Barbados
(In Detail)Coat of Arms
(Full size)National motto: Pride and Industry [image]
Location of BarbadosOfficial language English Capital Bridgetown Queen Elizabeth II Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands Prime Minister Owen Arthur Area[
- Total
- % waterRanked 181st
430 km²
NegligiblePopulation
- Total (2002)
- DensityRanked 171st
276,607
642/km²Independence
-DateFrom the UK
November 30, 1966GDP (PPP)
- Total (2002)
- GDP/headRanked 170th
4,000 millions $
14,457 $Currency Barbadian dollar (BBD) Time zone UTC -4 National anthem In Plenty and In Time of Need National Pledge Barbados National Pledge Internet TLD .bb Calling Code 1-246
The name "Barbados" comes from a Portuguese explorer named Pedro Campos in 1536, who originally called the island Los Barbados ("The Bearded Ones"), upon seeing the appearance of the island's fig trees, whose long hanging aerial roots he thought resembled beards. Between Campos' sighting in 1536 and 1550, Spanish conquistadors seized many Caribs on Barbados and used them as slave labor on plantations. Other Caribs fled the island, moving elsewhere.
British sailors who landed on Barbados in the 1620s at the site of present-day Holetown on the Caribbean coast found the island uninhabited. From the arrival of the first British settlers in 1627-1628 until independence in 1966, Barbados was under uninterrupted British control. Nevertheless, Barbados always enjoyed a large measure of local autonomy. Its House of Assembly began meeting in 1639. Among the initial important British figures was Sir William Courten.
Large numbers of Celtic people, mainly from Ireland and Scotland, were sold into slavery in Barbados as the British Empire consolidated its control of all three nations and used mass transportation of populations in rebellion as a way to undermine local nationalist movements. The earliest of these mass transportations occurred in 1649 at the conclusion of Oliver Cromwell's successful invasion of Ireland and included an estimated 1/3 of the indigenous Celtic population of Ulster. Over the next several centuries the Celtic population was used as a buffer between the Anglo-Saxon plantation owners and the larger African population, variously serving as members of the Colonial militia and playing a strong role as allies of the larger African slave population in a long string of colonial rebellions. The modern descendants of this original slave population are sometimes derisively referred to as Red Legs and are some of the poorest inhabitants of modern Barbados. There has also been large scale intermarriage between the African and Celtic populations on the islands.
As the Sugar industry developed into the main commercial enterprise, Barbados was divided into large plantation estates that replaced the small holdings of the early British settlers. Some of the displaced farmers relocated to British colonies in North America, most notably South Carolina. To work the plantations, West Africans were transported and enslaved on Barbados and other Caribbean islands. The slave trade ceased in 1804. Thirty years later slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834. In Barbados and the rest of the British West Indian colonies, full slavery was preceded by an apprenticeship period that lasted six years.
Plantation owners and merchants of British descent dominated local politics. It was not until the 1930s that the descendants of emancipated slaves began a movement for political rights. One of the leaders of this movement, Sir Grantley Adams, founded the Barbados Labour Party in 1938.
Progress toward more democratic government for Barbados was made in 1951, when universal adult suffrage was introduced, followed by steps toward increased self-government, and in 1961, Barbados achieved internal autonomy.
From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of 10 members of the West Indies Federation, and Sir Grantley Adams served as its first and only prime minister. When the federation was terminated, Barbados reverted to its former status as a Self-governing colony. Following several attempts to form another federation composed of Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands, Barbados negotiated its own independence at a constitutional conference with the United Kingdom in June 1966. After years of peaceful and democratic progress, Barbados became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on November 30, 1966.
Executive power however is in the hands of the Prime Minister and his cabinet. The prime minister is usually the leader of the winning party in the elections for the House of Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, which has 28 seats. Its members are elected every five years. The Senate has 21 members, and its members are appointed by the governor general.
Barbados is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Though one might assume the island deals with severe tropical storms and hurricanes during the rainy season it actually does not. The island gets brushed or hit every 3.09 years and the average number of years between direct hurricane hits is once every 26.6 years.
In the parish of Saint Michael lies Barbados' chief city Bridgetown, which is the nation's capital. Locally Bridgetown is sometimes referred to as "The City" or "B-town", and the most common reference is simply "'Town". Other towns include Holetown, in the parish of Saint James and Speightstown, in the parish of Saint Peter.
The island is 23 km (14 miles) at its widest point, and about 34 km (21 miles) long.
The government continues its efforts to reduce Unemployment, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. Unemployment has been reduced from high levels of around 14 percent in the past to under 10%.
The economy contracted in 2001 and 2002 due to slowdowns in tourism, consumer spending and the impact of the September 11, 2001 attacks, but the economy rebounded in 2003 and showed growth for 2004. Traditional trading partners include Canada, the Caribbean Community (especially Trinidad and Tobago), the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Business links and investment flows have become substantial, as of 2003 the island saw from Canada CAN$25 Billion in investment holdings, placing it as one of Canada's top five destinations of Canadian Foreign direct investment (FDI). Canadian Outward Foreign Direct Investment to the World. Businessman Eugene Melnyk of Toronto in Ontario, Canada is said to be Barbados' richest permanent resident.
In 2004 it was announced that Barbados' Kensington Oval will be one of the final venues hosting the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
The island is well developed and there are many local quality-hotels known internationally which offer world-class accommodations. Timeshares are available, and many of the smaller local hotels and private villas which dot the island have space available if booked months in advance. The southern and western coasts of Barbados are popular, with its calm light blue Caribbean sea and fine white and pinkish sandy beaches. Along the island's east coast the Atlantic Ocean side are tumbling waves which are perfect for light Surfing, but a little bit risky due to under-tow currents.
Shopping districts are another treat in Barbados, with ample duty-free shopping. There is also a festive nightlife available in mainly tourist areas like the Saint Lawrence Gap. Other attractions include wildlife reserves, jewelry stores, scuba diving, helicopter rides, golf, festivals, sight seeing, cave exploration, exotic drinks and fine clothes Shopping.
- Christ Church
| - St. George
| - St. Joseph
| - St. Michael
|
List of: Cities, Towns and Villages in Barbados.
Buses are abundant in Barbados. There are three bus systems running seven days a week (though less frequenly on Sundays), and a ride on any of them costs $1.50 BDS. The smaller buses from the two privately owned systems ("ZR's" and "minibuses") can make change; the larger blue buses from the government-operated Barbados Transport Board system cannot. Most routes require a connection in Bridgetown. However, if you wait long enough, you might find a bus that bypasses the capital and takes you right to your destination. Drivers are generally happy to help you get where you're going; however, some drivers within the competitive privately owned systems are reluctant to instruct you to use competing services, even if those would be preferable.
Competition for patrons extends to the bus terminals (sometimes just a parking lot full of buses); it is normal for the 'ZR' bus conductors to attempt to escort you to his vehicle and engage in loud altercations with other drivers and conductors, in competition for your patronage. These altercations, though sometimes dramatic, are less problematic than they usually seem to the unaccustomed.
Some hotels also provide visitors with shuttles to points of interest on the island. Hotel shuttles generally leave right outside of the hotel's lobby. The island also has an abundance of taxis-for-hire, visitors staying on the island may find this an expensive option, most hired-taxis will take you to points of interest but they can be expensive, visitors also have the option of car and vehicles rentals in Barbados, presuming they have a valid drivers license from their native country.
Other groups in Barbados include people from the United States, Canada, and expatriates from Latin America. Barbadians who return from America after years of residence in the US are called "Bajan Yankees"; this term is considered derogatory by some. The official language of Barbados is English and while most Barbadians are Protestant Christians, chiefly of the Anglican Church, there are other Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu and Muslim minorities. Barbados is currently a chief emigration location from the South American nation of Guyana.
Citizens are officially called Barbadian, however residents of Barbados colloquially refer to themselves or the products of the country as "Bajan". The term "Bajan", may have come from a localized pronunciation of the word Barbadian which at times can sound more like "Bar-bajan". The term Barbadian, is used less frequently than is "Bajan".
The largest Carnival cultural events which take place in Barbados are the Congaline Festival and Crop Over Festival as known internationally.
As is the case in many of the other Caribbean and Latin American countries, Carnival is an important event for many people on the island, as well as the thousands of tourists that flock to the island to participate in the annual events.
The smaller of the two events is the Congaline Festival, which takes place during the last week of March. The Crop Over Carnival which includes various musical competitions, and other traditional activities usually kicks into high gear from the beginning of July, and ends in its entirety during the first week of August.
The Crop Over festival closes with Grand Kadooment a large parade on the final day of fetivities.
Some information in this article has been taken from the CIA World Factbook, 2000 edition.
Some information in this article has been taken from the CIA World Factbook, 2003 edition.
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Maps of Barbados 13.16° N -59.55° E
See also MapQuest zoom levels 8, 9, and 10.
| Countries in the Caribbean |
|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| [image] | |
|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas… | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | |
| … member of the community but not the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy. | |