Barbados

Barbados is an island nation situated on the boundary of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. One of the Lesser Antilles, it lies to the east of the main chain of islands.

History Main article: History of Barbados

Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627, though Amerindian tribes had lived on the island previously. 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 United Kingdom in 1966, with the island remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

Politics Main article: Politics of Barbados

While the British monarch, represented by a governor general, is the Barbadian head of state, executive power 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 5 years. The Senate has 21 members, and its members are appointed by the governor general.

Parishes Main article: Parishes of Barbados[?]

Barbados is divided into parishes. There are eleven of them:

• Christ Church[?]
• Saint Andrew[?]
• Saint George[?]
• Saint James[?]
• Saint John[?]
• Saint Joseph[?]
• Saint Lucy[?]
• Saint Michael[?]
• Saint Peter[?]
• Saint Philip[?]
• Saint Thomas[?]

Geography Main article: Geography of Barbados

Barbados is a relatively flat island, rising gently to central highland region, the highest point being Mount Hillaby[?] at 336 m. It is located in a slightly eccentric position in the Atlantic Ocean compared to other Caribbean islands. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from June to October. The chief town is Bridgetown, the nation's capital. Other towns include Holetown[?] and Speightstown[?].

Economy Main article: Economy of Barbados

Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners, and there is also a light manufacturing sector. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, encourage direct foreign investment, and privatise remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2001 due to slowdowns in tourism and consumer spending. Growth will remain anemic in 2002 with a recovery likely near the end of the year.

Demographics Main article: Demographics of Barbados

About nine tenths of all Barbadians (also known colloquially as Bajan) are blacks, mostly descendants of the slaves and workers on the sugar plantations. The remainder of the population includes small groups of Europeans and Asians. The official language is English and while most Barbadians are Protestant Christians, chiefly of the Anglican Church, there are other Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu and Muslim minorities.

Culture Main article: Culture of Barbados[?]

The influence of the English on Barbados is more noticeable than on other islands in the West Indies. A good example of this is the island's national sport: cricket. Barbados has brought forth several great cricket players, including Garfield Sobers[?] and Frank Worrell[?].

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Barbados
• Transportation in Barbados
• Military of Barbados
• Foreign relations of Barbados

Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

External Links

• Barbados Government Information Service (http://www.barbados.gov.bb/bgis/Default.htm) - Official governmental site
• Official Website of the parliament of Barbados (http://www.parliamentbarbados.gov.bb/)