A Brief History of Barbados

Barbados is one of the tiniest vacation spots in the world. But its history is full and rich. Located approximately 300 miles north of Venezuela, and spanning only 21 miles in length and 14 miles in width, the island is a haven for beach loving tourists and locals alike.

There is much speculation and discussion about who actually inhabited the Caribbean island, but it is known that the British where the first to establish a colony and begin building a culture there in 1627. Products to come out of Barbados were tobacco and cotton, but then sugar was produced and proved to be incredibly profitable for the British.

Slaves had been brought over from Africa to work in the sugar plantations and when the population was about 90% black, the salves revolted in 1816 and slavery was finally abolished in 1834.

Barbados became its own colony, separate from the British, in 1966. It is now a parliamentary democracy within the British Common Wealth. The island has been politically stable ever since. With a population of close to 288,000, the island boasts a very profitable tourism industry. Most travellers come from Canada, the United States, and of course, Britain. The oil industry has since made its way on the coastline of Barbados. The government has been looking for oil reserves off the coasts of Barbados for some time now and are hoping to literally “strike oil” to continue to help the economy thrive.

There are several things that come to mind when one things of Barbados: beaches, music, and food. The beaches, which stretch for literal miles along all coasts of the island, are a staple for the tourism industry. With strictly regulated vending allowed on the beaches, the tourism industry keeps a close eye on panhandlers and peddlers looking to rip off tourists. The music, now found in live shows, nightclubs, piano bars, and dinner extravaganzas, is well known throughout the world as calypso music. Barbados also has a large jazz following which is often infused with the Caribbean style music to create a unique sound. And of course, the food. A typical restaurant in Barbados offers a selection of international cuisine, however, Bajan cooking specializes spices, sugars, and seafood.

The religious sectors of Barbados are as diverse as any country in the world. Clearly a religiously influenced member of the commonwealth, street names, cities, towns, inlets, shops, businesses, and more are named after a number of saints – not just Christian saints – there is a respectable amount of Jewish, Hindu, and Muslin followers who call, and have called, the island home. The island is littered with small stone churches, some of which are still in use today.

Some of the history of Barbados is rooted deep in its annual festivals; include the Bridgetown Film Festival, the Barbados Jazz Festival, the Holetown Festival, and Gospelfest, which pays homage to the religiousness of Barbados.

Do you know where the name Barbados comes from? Many do not. The word Barbados actually mean “Bearded one” in Portuguese. Early Portuguese explorers named the island for a large tree native to the area called the Bearded Fig Tree.

Barbados in and of itself, with its cultured people and sophisticated government, is determined to become the smallest developed country in the world. With a fantastic and reliable tourism industry, the hopes for oil in the future, and the stable economy, they are well on their way to achieving their goals. Tourists to the area can expect the finest food, entertainment, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, resorts and hotels, golfing, snorkelling, water surfing, and site seeing.