Bridgetown, St. Thomas

CAPITAL CITY OF Barbados: Bridgetown
LANGUAGE OF Barbados: English
CURRENCY OF Barbados: Barbadian dollar (BBD)
COMMENTS ABOUT Barbados:
Barbados, situated just east of the Caribbean Sea, is an independent island nation in the western Atlantic Ocean
Cities : Bridgetown (Capital), Speightstown, Holetown, Oistins, Bathsheba, Fustic
Best Places : Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, St. Lawrence Gap, Cherry Tree Hill, Morgan Lewis Windmill, Chalky Mount potteries, Gun Hill Signal Station, Francia Great House, Orchid World, Folkestone Marine Park, Codrington College, St. John Parish Church, Andromeda Gardens, Flower Forest, Hackleton's Cliff, Animal Flower Cave, Mount Gay Rum Distilleries, Little Bay, Barbados Historical Museum, Bridgetown Synagogue and Cemetery, Bussa Emancipation Statue, Garrison Savannah, Kensington Oval, Barbados Wildlife Reserve, Farley Hill National Park, Sunbury Plantation, Harrison's Cave, Welchman Hall Gully, Sharon Moravian
Electricity : 115V/50Hz (North American plug)
Calling Code : +1-246
Time Zone : UTC-4
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island 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 led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
CLIMATE OF Barbados: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
RELIGION OF Barbados: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
POPULATION OF Barbados: 279,254 (July 2005 est.)>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Barbados: Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive in 2004, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.