FACTS ABOUT BARBADOS

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BARBADOS

1.                 Bridgetown is the capital city of Barbados.

2.                 The total population of Barbados is 291,495.

3.                 The natives of Barbados are called Barbadians.

4.                 The Barbadian dollar (BBD) is the official currency of Barbados.

5.                 The British established a colony in Barbados in 1627, and started the cultivation of tobacco and cotton. However, during the 1640s, they started sugar plantations, which brought them handsome profits.

6.                 Barbados is an island nation surrounded completely by the Atlantic Ocean. It belongs to the Lesser Antilles (a group of islands in North America).

7.                 Bussa’s Rebellion (14–16 April 1816) was the largest slave revolt in Barbadian history. The rebellion takes its name from the African-born slave, Bussa, who led the rebellion.

8.                 Rihanna, a popular singer and songwriter, was born in Barbados on February 20, 1988.

9.                 Tiger Woods married his Swedish girlfriend Elin Nordegren at a ceremony on the Caribbean island of Barbados.

10.            Sir Garfield Sobers was born in Bridgetown, Barbados. He is also one of the ten Barbadian National Heroes.

11.            The name of the country, “Barbados,” is derived from “the Bearded Fig Trees.”

12.            Barbados became independent from Britain on November 30th, 1966. This year (2016), the country will celebrate 50 years of independence.

13.            Barbados has the world’s third-oldest parliament. It has been in operation since 1639.

14.            There were 491 active sugar plantations and 506 windmills in Barbados in 1846.

15.            The oldest church in Barbados is the St. James Parish Church.

16.            The national flower of the country is called the “Pride of Barbados.” The leaves of this flower, dipped in breast milk, are given to crying babies to stop them from crying.

17.            The fertility centre in Barbados–The Barbados Fertility Centre–has success rates that are higher than that of the centers in the UK and the US. Also, the treatment costs in this center are a third of what you would have to pay in the UK or the US.

18.            Barbados is one of the most popular and preferred tourist destinations in the Caribbean.

19.            The capital city of Barbados, Bridgetown, and its Garrison is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a well-preserved old town built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

20.            “Pride and Industry” is the Barbadian national motto.

21.            Two Barbados dollars are approximately equal to one US dollar.

22.            Barbados exports more than BBD $57 million of rum each year.

23.            According to indexmundi.com, Barbados is the 16th most densely populated country. However, as per Wikipedia, it is the 18th most densely populated country.

24.            The island of Barbados plans to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in November, 2016. This change also coincides with their 50th independence day.

25.            Barbados receives more than a million tourists each year, including both land-based tourists and cruise passengers.

26.            Barbados’ smallest city–Oistins–is historically known as a fishing town.

27.            The Barbados Museum provides rich insights into the country’s history and culture.

28.            Holetown–originally known as St. James Town–is named after King James I of England. It is the site of the first Anglican Church, St. James Parish Church, which was built in 1628.

29.            With more than a dozen mouthwatering recipes that are prepared from pork, it can be said that Barbadians are extremely fond of pork.

30.            Barbados is just 21 miles long and 14 miles wide.

31.            The first governor of the US state of South Carolina was a Barbadian.

32.            The country has never been successfully invaded by a foreign power.

33.            George Washington, the first president of the United States, also visited the island nation in 1751 before he became the president in 1789.

34.            Barbados is the only island in the Caribbean that has daily flights to Canada, England, and the United States of America.

35.            Between 1841 and 1845, Barbados was the healthiest place in the world to live.

36.            Mount Hillaby is the highest point on the island at 1,115 ft.

37.            In Barbados, it is considered good luck if a mongoose crosses your path. Mongooses were originally imported from India to take care of the rats in the country’s sugar cane fields.

38.            It is the third-most developed country in the Western hemisphere, after the US and Canada.

39.            Barbados is known as “the land of flying fish.” The fish is also one of its national symbols.

40.            The island was named Los Barbados (bearded ones) by the Portugese explorer Pedro a Campos.

41.            Grapefruit is a “hybrid” fruit invented in Barbados.

42.            Barbados has a literacy rate of 99.7%. School is compulsory in the country up to age 16.

43.            Barbados Exports: manufactures, sugar, molasses, rum, other foodstuffs and beverages, chemicals and electrical components.

44.            Barbados Imports: consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel and electrical components.

45.            The internet country code for Barbados is .bb.