Vital Statistics

Population: 263,000
Area: 166 sq. miles (430 sq. km)
Capital: Bridgetown
Language: English; Barbadian dialect
Religion: Anglican (33 percent); Pentecostal (25 percent)
Time Zone: GMT - 4 hours, EST + 1 hour
Currency: Barbados dollar (BDS$)
Electricity: 110 volts, 50 cycles. Many hotels will provide an adaptor and transformer
Weights & Measures: Officially, Barbados uses the metric system, though spoken directions and descriptions of quantities are often given in miles and pounds

The Place

Barbadians/Bajans know and visitors quickly discover that Barbados lives up to its frequent description as a singular island. It may have glorious sunny days, a glistening azure sea and spectacular scenery, but it is a fascinating cultural vantage point too - an example in miniature of the way history and geography shape both a people and a place. There is something special about Barbados, a feeling unique to an island that seems very much bigger than its 166 sq. miles. Everyone in the Caribbean knows that Bajans are different, a special case.

Proud of their unique cultural heritage - which has encouraged the exploration and celebration of some of the African-inspired aspects of the island's music, art and literature - and confident in the high standards of living reached at the turn of the millennium, Barbadians can look forward to a future of prosperity as one of the world's top developing countries, highly respected by the international business fraternity.

Geography

Standing some 100 miles (160 km) to the east of St Vincent, pear-shaped Barbados is the easternmost island of the Caribbean. Barbados is a mostly low-lying coral island surrounded by reefs, while its nearest neighbours are volcanic and often mountainous. It is said that Columbus missed "discovering" Barbados because it was too flat, but the landscape in some parts is hilly, especially toward the north and east along the elevated central plateau, rising to 1,115 ft (340 metres) at Mount Hillaby. On the windward eastern side, magnificent cliffs rise above the Atlantic waves; the leeward west coast is washed by the calm Caribbean, lapping against miles of powdered sandy beaches.

People

The population is about 70 percent black, 20 percent mixed black and white, and 7 percent white; another 3 percent are recent immigrants from around the world.

Culturally, despite the long political and economic domination of Britain, Barbadians have fashioned a distinctly Bajan view of life from their country's complex history. With such close relations with the USA and Canada, North American influences on the island's day-to-day life are more and more apparent.

Festivals & Events

January-February

Barbados Jazz Festival: weekend-long programme of events in January, featuring international artists.

Barbados Horticultural Society Open Gardens Programme: private gardens open to the public on Sunday during the winter.

National Trust Open House Programme: historic private homes open up to the public every Wednesday 2.30-5.30pm, January to April.

PWA Windsurfing Competition: February.

International Festival and Fair: first Saturday in February at Government House. Entertainment, art, crafts and food organised by the Multinational Women's Group.

Holetown Festival: week-long festival commemorates the first settlers' landing in 1627. Street fair, concerts, parades and more.

Barbados Flower Show: late February at Balls Plantation.

March-April

Holder's Season: major international opera, music and theatre festival held in the gardens of Holder's House.

Test cricket series: carnival atmosphere at Kensington Oval when international teams compete against the West Indies.

Sandy Lane Gold Cup: prestigious horse race held at the Garrison Savannah.

Oistins Fish Festival: Easter weekend programme of events in Barbados' main fishing town - exhibitions, craft stalls, boat races.

De Congaline Carnival: nine-day village festival and street party featuring a huge human conga line.

May-June

Gospelfest: international festival of gospel music.

Celtic Festival: last two weeks in May. Celebration of Celtic culture in the Caribbean, with performers from many countries.

Barbados Rugby Sevens International Masters Festival: international teams compete at the Garrison Savannah.

Mount Gay Regatta: top-class yacht races based at the Boatyard.

July-August

Crop Over Festival: Barbados' biggest and longest festival: a five-week festival, starting in early July and ending on Emancipation Day, is the highlight of the Barbados cultural calendar. It is a revival of the traditional celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest.

Community fairs, concerts and parades abound.

September-December

International Surfing: at the Soup Bowl.

National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA): October/ November, culminating on Independence Day, 30 November when there is a military parade and street processions.

Run Barbados: 10 km and marathon races attracting international runners; early December.

Tourist Office website - www.barbados.org