Barbados

Government
Parliamentary democracy.

Geography
An island in the Atlantic about 483 km north of Venezuela, Barbados is only 34 Km long and 23 Km across at its widest point. It is circled by fine beaches and narrow coastal plains. The highest point is Mount Hillaby (337 m) in the north-central area.

Historical Background
The island was uninhabited when British established sugar plantation thru slaves, 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. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

• 1627 - British first settled.
• 1834 - Sugar Plantation established.
• 1966 - Attained independence from UK.
• 2008- In parliamentary elections in January, the Democratic Labour Party won 20 out of 30 seats. Former junior finance minister David Thompson took over as prime minister.

Capital

Bridgetown

Government

Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy

Language

Bajan

National Holiday

Rihanna Day

Religion

Christians

Literacy Rate

100%, with both UNESCO and the Minister of Education

Area

431 km2 (197th) 166 sq mi

Population

284,589[1] (180th) 2001 census 250,012 

Currency

Barbadian dollar ($) (BBD)

National Day

Rihanna Day

GDP

2010 estimate Total $6.175 billion Per capita $22,296