Barbados

COUNTRY NAME:

• Conventional long form: None
• Conventional short form: Barbados

ETYMOLOGY:

• “Ichirouganaim” was the original name of the island given by the Arawak tribe.
• The Portuguese were the first Europeans to inhabit and name the island.
• “Barbados” is believed to have originated from “bearded” which probably refers to the hanging roots of a native tree or the bearded Caribs.
• The word “Barbados” is known to be used in 1519 by explorers and voyagers.

CAPITAL CITY:

• Bridgetown is the capital city of Barbados.

CURRENCY:

• The Barbadian Dollar is the official currency of Barbados.

HISTORY:

• The Arawak Indians were the original inhabitants of the island.
• It was later discovered and explored by the Portuguese.
• The British established colonies on the island in 1627.
• The British used the land for cultivating cotton, tobacco and sugar.
• They also shipped slaves from Africa in large numbers to work on the plantations.
• A slave revolt took place in 1816.
• Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834.
• The administrative headquarters of the Windward Islands were initially based in Barbados.
• Barbados acquired the status of a separate colony in 1885.
• Barbados was a member of the Federation of the West Indies from 1958 to 1962.
• Barbados gained complete independence from the colonial rule on Nov. 30, 1966.
• After independence, it became a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

• 90% of Barbadians are of African origin (descendants of the slaves).
• The local term for “Barbadian” is “Bajan”.
• The remaining 10% constitutes of Europeans, Asians, Chinese and Arabs.
• There are a significant number of people of Afro-Caribbean and European descent.
• The local dialect of English is also known as “Bajan” and is widely spoken.
• Majority of the people are Protestant Christians (67%).
• Religious minorities include Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Hindu, Muslim and Jews.
• The country is also home to a large number of migrants from Guyana, India and Latin America.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

• Barbados is ruled by a parliamentary democratic government.
• Administrative divisions consist of eleven parishes and one city.
• The parishes include: Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip and Saint Thomas.
• Independence Day (30 November, 1966) is observed as a national holiday.
• The Constitution was formed on 30 November 1966.
• The legal system is based on English common law.
• There is no judicial review of legislative acts.
• Barbados accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations.
• Queen Elizabeth II is the chief of state since 6 February, 1952.
• She is represented by the Governor.
• The prime minister is the head of government.
• The Cabinet is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.
  The governor general is appointed by the monarch.
• The leader of the majority party or coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general following legislative elections.
• The prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister.
• The legislative branch is represented by a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate and the House of Assembly.
• The judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court of Judicature and the Caribbean Court of Justice.
• The Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal.

CULTURE:

• The Indo-Guyanese immigrants have introduced Hinduism and Indian cuisine to the Barbados culture.
• Euro-Bajans introduced folk music, such as Irish music and Highland music to the culture.
• The Europeans also named places with familiar names like “Scotland" (for a mountainous region), "Trafalgar Square" or "Heroes Square".
• Chinese food and tradition is gradually becoming part of everyday Bajan culture.
• The Jewish community in Barbados has created the biggest Synagogue in West Indies.
• Immigrants from the Middle East have successful businesses in Barbados.
• The Latin Americans are responsible for the growing popularity of the Spanish language which is now taught in schools.
• Cricket is the national sport of Barbados.
• Residents of the country refer to themselves as “Bajan” which is a colloquial version of “Barbadian”.
• Barbados holds an annual carnival –like cultural event which is one of the biggest in the Caribbean.
• The cultural festival is called “Crop Over” and involves music, traditional rituals and costume parades.
• It starts at the beginning of July, and ends on Kadooment Day, held on the first Monday of August.
• Barbados retains a strong British influence and is referred to by its neighbors as "Little England".
• Barbados is occasionally referred to as "Bim" or "Bimshire".

ECONOMY:

• In the past, Barbadian economy was dependant of sugarcane cultivation.
• Now, Barbados has made significant development in other areas like light industry and tourism.
• Barbados has one of the highest per capita incomes in the region.
• The country’s rapid economic growth is largely attributed to the stable political situation and high level of education.
• Offshore finance and information services are other important revenue generating sectors.
• The government is making efforts towards direct foreign investments and privatization of companies.
• The GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $5.317 billion.
• Agricultural produce includes sugarcane, vegetables and cotton.
• The main industries are tourism, sugar, light manufacturing and component assembly for export.
• Export commodities include manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals and electrical components.
• Import commodities include consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel and electrical components.

INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Fixed line telephone and mobile cellular services are well established and widespread in the country.
• Barbados has 8 radio broadcast stations and 1 television broadcast station.
• Internet facilities are readily available.
• Barbados has one airport with paved runways.
• Roadways span over a distance of 1,600 km.
• The merchant marine is equipped with 71 ships.
• The main ports and terminals are located in Bridgetown.

EDUCATION:

• The level of education is high in Barbados.
• 99.7% of the total population is literate.
• The rate of literacy is same across both genders.

NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

Barbados is part of the Lesser Antilles and is surrounded by:

• Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (west)
• Saint Lucia (west)
• Trinidad and Tobago (south)
• Venezuela (southwest)

GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

• Barbados is located in the southern part of the Caribbean.
• Its geographic coordinates are 13 10 N, 59 32 W.
• The country covers a total area of 431 sq km.
• The coastline is 97 km long.
• Barbados enjoys a tropical climate with a long rainy season between June and October.
• The terrain is relatively flat and rises gently to a central highland region.
• 37.21% of the land is arable.
• Natural hazards in the region include occasional hurricanes and landslides.
• Pollution of coastal waters and waste disposal are pressing environmental concerns.
• Barbados is the easternmost Caribbean Island.

FREEDOM:

• Barbados gained its independence from Britain on 30 November 1966.

NOTABLE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY:

• Rihanna Fenty (musician and singer)
• Rupert Clark alias “Rupee” (musical artist)
• Sir Garfield "Garry" Sobers (cricket player)
• Irving Burgie (musician and lyricist)
• Frank Worrell (cricket player)
• Edward Brathwaite (writer)
• Austin Clarke (writer)
• George Lamming (writer)

COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

• Barbados is famous for the annual “Crop Over” festival.
• The country is famous tourist destination due to the large number of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, caves and museums.
• Barbados also has the largest Synagogue in the region.

TOTAL POPULATION:

• According to a 2008 census, the total population was estimated to be 281,968.
• The annual population growth rate is 0.36% (2008 est.)
• Birth rate: 12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Death rate: 8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS:

• Barbados has been competing at the Summer Olympic Games since 1968.
• The country has participated at every Summer Game except for 1980 Summer Olympics.
• Barbados won a bronze medal by sprinter Obadele Thompson at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
• Barbados competed as part of the West Indies Federation in 1960.
• James Wedderburn competed in the 4 x 400m relay team which won the bronze medal in 1960.
• Barbados has never competed in “Winter Olympic Games”.