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FASCINATING FACTS
ON BARBADOS
Barbados is the most easterly island in the Caribbean, lying a 13.4 degrees North and 59.37 degrees West. It is not within the usual path of hurricanes.
1. Barbados: 21 miles long and a smile wide” was a popular tourism slogan quite a while ago, but Barbados is really 14 miles when measured at its widest.
2. In Barbados, over 3000 hours of sunshine per year are tempered by gentle, Northeast trade winds.
3. In Barbados, over 70 square miles of beaches welcome you in hues ranging from delicate pink to purest white.
4. Unlike many of her Caribbean islands, Barbados is a coral-limestone island, which accounts for the pure water supply. It is nature’s filter.
5. Barbados’ history has created a unique blend of African and European culture. This legacy is reflected in our cuisine, architecture, folklore and language.
6. Barbados was uninhabited when settled by the British in 1627, although Amerindians were the original inhabitants. Their disappearance is a mystery.
7. Barbados is probably the only West Indian island, historically, that never changed hands. It remained a British colony from the time it was settled in 1627 to the time of its Independence in 1966. This year, on November 30, Barbados celebrates its 40th anniversary of Independence.
8. In 1639, the third oldest Parliament in the British Commonwealth was founded in Barbados, following behind the United Kingdom and Bermuda.
9. Barbados has strong historical ties with the Carolinas in the United States, dating back to the middle of the 17th century, when trading and population links were established.
10. Nicholas Abbey, one of Barbados’ best preserved plantation great houses, is one of only three buildings of Jacobean design in the Western Hemisphere. The other two are Drax Hall in St. George (also in Barbados) and Bacon’s Castle in Virginia, USA.
11. There is a legend associated with the resort Sam Lord’s Castle. It is said that Sam Lord, the pirate, would hang lanterns in the coconut trees on the beach of his estate, so as to lure the ships upon the reef and then plunder them.
12. Barbados’ major attraction, Harrison’s Cave, a coral-limestone cavern with stalactites, stalagmites and crystal-clear pools and waterfalls, is one of the greatest wonders of the tropical world.
13. The Barbados cherry is the richest source of Vitamin C in the world.
14. The Crop Over Festival, which brushes through the months of June, July and August is much more than a Festival; it is a huge pot-pourri of Barbadian culture – Pic-a-de-Crop calypso, cuisine, comedy, colour, crafts and Kadooment costumes .
15. Barbados’ National Heroes are Sir Grantley Adams (1898-1971), first Premier of Barbados and only Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation; Errol Barrow (1920-1987), acclaimed Father of Barbados’ Independence, Founder member of the Democratic Labour Party, and Barbados’ first Prime Minister; Charles Duncan O’ Neal ( 1879-1936), who, although a doctor and a member of the elite, dedicated most of his working life to the poor and downtrodden; Clement Payne (1904-1941), a Trinidadian of Barbadian parentage, who struggled to help the poor working population come together and resist the elite white planter class for four memorable months in 1937; Sir Hugh Springer (1913-1994), Barbados’ third native Governor General, who was previously educator, politician, leader of organized labour, parliamentarian and Member of Government; Sir Garfield Sobers (1936-), who served as a role model for thousands of lower income Barbadian boys, inspiring them to play cricket; Sir Frank Walcott (1916-1999), who served the island’s first trade union, the Barbados Workers Union, for 50 years; Samuel Jackman Prescod (1806-1871), the first non-white to sit in the House of Assembly; Bussa (- 1816), who exists in the Bajan folk memory as leader of longest slave revolt in April 1816 against the oppressive white Barbadian planter and Sara Ann Gill (1795-1866) , the heroine of Methodism in Barbados, who held regular worship services in the face of continual threats and active persecution.
16. Sir Garfield Sobers, the “greatest cricketer the world has ever seen” is Barbados’ only living National Hero.
17. September 23, 2000 was a special date for Barbados; it won its first individual Olympic medal – a bronze in the 100m track event, thanks to the great athleticism of Obadele Thompson.
18. Barbados has the nickname “Bim” or “Bimshire”. Some Bajans also call it affectionately “the Rock”.
19. Many people wonder if “Bajan” is a derogatory word; in fact, they wonder what is “Bajan”. “Bajan” is a colloquial (but not derogatory)form of the word “Barbadian”, meaning an inhabitant of the country Barbados or, as an adjective, (things) pertaining to Barbados.
20. Barbados is ranked by the United Nations Human Development Index as one of the world’s leading developing countries.
21. The people of Barbados – their hospitality, their genuine warmth – are our tourism’s greatest asset. The population is approximately 270,000.
22. Barbados was the only place outside of the USA that George Washington visited in his lifetime. He came to the island at the age of 19 with his half-brother Lawrence in the hope that the latter would cured of tuberculosis. They spent nearly 7 weeks in 1751. The house where they stayed is now restored.
23. Two Presidents of the United States have visited Barbados while in office. They are Ronald Reagan (1982) and Bill Clinton (1997). The current British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has made Barbados a repeat vacation spot.
24. The bearded fig tree was once so plentiful on the island that the Portuguese named it “Barbados” - “the bearded ones”.
25. Barbados has experienced the political styles of five Prime Ministers: Errol Walton Barrow ( 1966-1976; 1986-1987); JMGM (Tom) Adams (1976-1985); Harold St. John (1985-1986); Erskine Sandiford (1987-1994) and Owen Arthur (1994 - ).
26. The Barbados Jazz Festival features some of the newest and some of the most recognized names in the business. Anita Baker headlines this year (January 08-14, 2007) in a truly powerful line-up which includes Macy Gray, Karen Briggs, Ruben Stoddard, Arturo Sandoval, Stanley Clarke, Will Downing, Terence Blanchard, Arturo Tappin, and Marissa Lindsay.
27. Today, Farley Hill is a charred ruin and a national park, but for 100 years it was a breathtaking wonder of a great house where Sir Graham Briggs entertained royalty, including Prince Alfred, Prince Albert and Prince George (who later became King George V). In 1956, Farley Hill was host to film royalty, including Harry Belafonte, for the picture Island in the Sun and not long after it was destroyed by fire.
28. Barbados’ national meal consists of cou cou (an African dish made from corn meal) and flying fish (filleted and steamed or seasoned and fried.).
29. Barbados’ standard of education is extremely high and the literacy rate of 97% is quite unbelievable.
30. The Emancipation monument at St. Barnabas roundabout was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of slavery’s abolition. The sculptor was local talent, Karl Broodhagen and it was unveiled March 28, 1985. Mr. Broodhagen named the statue “Slave in Revolt”, but it is far more popularly known as “Bussa”, after one of the leaders of the slave rebellion of 1816.
31. In Barbados, the estimated Gross Domestic Product at factor cost was $4, 615.6 million in 2004.
32. The Barbados campus of the University of the West Indies began as the College of Arts and Science in 1963, on a temporary site at the Deep Water Harbour. Another lovely location was found at Cave Hill, and a foundation stone laid which gave the date as January 26, 1966. The Cave Hill campus provides free education for Barbadians.
33. Barbadians are so proud of their flag, almost as proud as they are of their country. The flag consists of three equal vertical strips of blue, gold, and blue with a broken trident in the centre of the gold strip. The broken trident is Neptune’s , and symbolizes both continuity and a break with continuity as made by Independence.
34. The black belly sheep is indigenous to Barbados. It resembles a goat and its flesh is tastier than that of a wool sheep. The breed is now commercially raised in a number of tropical countries.
35. The Barbados currency exchange rate is fixed at Bds $1.98 to US $1.00. Notes are issued by the Central Bank of Barbados in denominations of $100, $50, $20, $10, $5 and $2. Coins are one dollar, 25 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents and 1cent.
36. Today, with over one million long-stay and cruise ship visitors choosing Barbados as their holiday destination, tourism is now the main foreign exchange earner and employer of this country.
37. Barbados is a constitutional monarchy in which the Queen is represented by the Governor General and executive power is vested in the hands of a bi-cameral legislature. The House of Assembly is composed of 30 elected members and the Senate is composed of 21 nominated officials.
38. Barbados was the only place outside of New York to which the British Airways Concorde had a scheduled flight. The Concorde will soon be seen on display in a special hangar/museum near Grantley Adams International Airport.
39. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in St. Michael, Barbados, the island’s own international songstress, Rihanna, with ‘Pon De Replay’ reached No.2 on the US Billboard charts when she was only 17. Since then she has been like Cinderella at the ball, although she would be incredulous. ‘A Girl Like Me’?
40. Barbados, the land of cricket, has given the honour of hosting the 2007 World Cup Final, six Super 8 matches and a number of warm-up matches. The first warm-up match in Barbados was played Monday, March 05 and the final match will fought April 28, 2007.
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