Geography

Set like a bowler hat on the sea, Barbados is so small and round that it's often said you can see the sea from everywhere on the island.

Area: 431 square km

It is located at 13.4 degrees north and 57.37 degrees west, the most eastern island of the Caribbean.

The west coast with its white sands and calm sea is the perfect tourist destination.

State
Independence November 30, 1966 
Parliamentary government, member of the Commonwealth, with a governor general, prime minister, legislature of 28 members elected every five years by universal suffrage and a 21-member senate.

The Queen of the United Kingdom is also the Queen of Barbados and is represented by the Governor General. The bicameral parliamentary system is made up of a lower house of 28 elected members and a senate of 21 appointed members. The Prime Minister is generally the leader of the party with a majority in the assembly and chooses his cabinet from party members in parliament.

Barbados is unique among Caribbean islands in being the only one to have always been under British rule. This has contributed to a certain stability in a country that includes peoples of numerous races and differing beliefs.

Capital
Bridgetown

Population
60% of the population live in a string of small towns along the sheltered coast from the island of Speightstown in the north to Oistins in the South and St. Philipps in the southeast. 100,000 people live in St. Michael and the majority of others in the capital.

Language
English

Currency
Barbadian dollar - its rate is directly pegged to the American dollar