About Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island in the eastern Caribbean (covering an area of 431 square kilometers) which was initially discovered by Spanish colonists toward the early 1500s, but was never officially claimed by any of the European powers until the British took possession of it in 1624. Unlike some of the other Caribbean islands (which was subject to periods of occupation of other European colonists), Barbados’ years as a British colony went relatively uninterrupted.
Not major changes occurred in Barbados until 1966, when it became an independent country (currently functioning as a constitutional monarchy & parliamentary democracy – with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, and Barbadians acting as the island’s Prime Minister and Governor-General. With the island once having an agricultural (sugar-based) economy, it has diversified over the years toward tourism, light manufacturing, offshore finance and information services.
The island’s largest city is its capital, Bridgetown, which was first settled in 1628. Its current population is 100,000 and acts as Barbados’ commercial center.