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Entrance to Bridgetown Commercial District
Financial Link(s) - Barbados Stock Exchange (22 listings) - Chamber of Commerce
News Link(s) - Barbados Advocate - Barbados Nation
Area:
430 sq km (166 sq mi)
Population: 264,000
Capital city: Bridgetown (pop 7500)
People: African (90%), English, Scottish & East
Indians
Language: English
Religion: Anglican (50%), Methodist, Moravian
Government: Independent state within the British
Commonwealth
Governor-General: Sir Clifford Husbands
Prime Minister: Owen Arthur
GDP: US$2.9
billion
GDP growth rate: 3%
GDP per head: US$11,200
Major industries: Tourism, sugar, light manufacturing,
component assembly for export, agriculture, fishing
Major trading partners: Caribbean Community (CARICOM), UK,
US
The 'Little England' of the Caribbean, but not so much so that the locals have given up rotis for kidney pies, or rum for bitter ale. Bajans, as the islanders call themselves, are as West Indian as any of their neighbors, and have tended to appropriate rather than adopt English customs. You'll notice this the first time you check out a local cricket match, since the gentlemanly English game has a totally different rhythm here. Nonetheless, there are old stone Anglican churches in every parish, horse races on Saturdays and portraits of Queen Liz hanging on plenty of walls. Tourism is big business on Barbados, and most visitors who come to the island are looking for that comfortable mix of the familiar peppered with just enough local flavor to feel 'exotic.' So if you're looking for a Caribbean island with plenty of amenities, watersports and nightlife, Barbados fits the bill. If you want to explore undeveloped areas and get off the beaten track should start looking for another island.
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Copyright (c) January 2004 - material on this page is not to be reproduced in any manner without the express written permission of Wildfire Asset Management Inc..
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