Quick Facts about Barbados:
Population: 279,912+
Climate: Tropical - with temperatures ranging from 21° to 30° C
Barbados Dollar: US $1 = BDS $1.98 (see current exchange rate)
Capital city: Bridgetown
Currency: Barbadian dollar (BBD)
Primary Language: English
Electricity: 115V/50Hz (North American plug)
Time Zone: UTC-4 (Eastern Standard Time)

Considered part of the Lesser Antilles, Barbados is located to the east of its closest neighbors, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and is approximately 166 square miles---34 km/21 miles long and 23km/14 miles wide. To give you an idea of just how small Barbados is, the state of Texas in the United States is just under 270,000 square miles - that's over 1600 times the land mass of our island home!

 If you detect a hint of British among our friendly locals, no doubt it's related to our island's long history with the United Kingdom. Though the first recorded Western explorer to Barbados (originally called Los Barbados, which means "the bearded ones") was Portuguese, the island was settled by the British in the early 1600s and remained part of the vast British Empire until November 1966 when it was recognized as an independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations. Today Barbados is governed by a Parliament modeled after that of its previous ruler, with Queen Elizabeth II as our symbolic sovereign. Certain aspects of our culture and recreation are evident of English influence - cricket and golf are popular sports, and yes, like the British we drive on the left hand side of the road!

Control of the Government (the Democratic Labour Party was elected into power in January 2008) is held by the Cabinet and is responsible to the Parliament.  The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the winning party in the election for the House of Assembly, whose members are elected every five years.

The population of 279,912 is made up mainly of people of African decent, with some European, Asian, Hindu, Muslim and Syrian influence.  The official language of Barbados is English but most Barbadians speak in their national dialect, which is referred to as Bajan.

Please note that when you come to Barbados, you must have a valid passport for entry, even if you are from the United States, so be sure your passports are ready!

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