Barbados is a small Caribbean island, part of the Lesser Antilles chain. It was first inhabited by the Saladoide-Barrancoide group, followed by the Arawaks and Caribs. The British imported African slaves and Irish and Scottish laborers, leading to slave revolts. Barbados gained independence in 1966 and is known for its nature reserves, beaches, and nightlife. It is accessible by flights, cruise ships, and yachts.
Barbados is a small island state in the Caribbean. It covers 167 square miles (431 square km), making it a little more than twice the size of Washington, DC. The nation is part of the Lesser Antilles island chain, which includes the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Barts, Anguilla, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, and others. The island is located approximately 270 miles (435 km) north of Venezuela.
The early history of Barbados follows that of most of the Lesser Antilles. The island was first inhabited in the 4th century by members of the Saladoide-Barrancoide group, moving north from Venezuela. In the 9th century, the Arawaks arrived, coexisting with the Saladoide-Barrancoide people. In the 4th century, the Caribs appeared, supplanting both the Saladoid-Barrancoid people and the Arawaks, and extensively settled Barbados.
The Spanish first came to Barbados in the 16th century. They did not particularly colonize the islands, but they seized many Caribs for use as slave labor on nearby plantations and killed others who resisted. The remaining Caribs abandoned the island following the Spanish conquest. The island then lay dormant for another hundred years, until the British arrived in the early 17th century, finding an uninhabited island with an ideal climate for growing crops.
The British imported large numbers of African slaves to Barbados, and later brought Irish and Scottish laborers as indentured servants, and still later as slaves themselves. Celts and Africans worked together in a series of slave revolts in the early years, but eventually the Celtic population of Barbados dwindled and by the 19th century the island was predominantly black. Slavery was finally abolished in 1834, but de facto slavery continued for some years afterward.
Barbados began moving towards a more democratic system in the 1930s and the island’s black population began to gain more power, eventually wresting power from white landowners around the 1950s. In the late 1950s and early 1960s Barbados was part of the West Indies Federation, along with a number of nearby islands, until the group split off due to internal quarrels in 1962. Alla Eventually Barbados gained its independence following negotiations with Great Britain in 1966.
Barbados is a beautiful Caribbean island, offering many of the same attractions as neighboring islands. The beautiful nature reserves, pristine waters and silky white beaches are the main reasons people visit Barbados, but the country also has a vibrant nightlife after dark.
Flights arrive into Bridgetown daily from a number of North American cities, as well as from Europe and other Caribbean locations. Bridgetown is also a very popular destination for cruise ships and many yachts dock here every year.
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