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Barbados Culture
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Barbados is a small but densely
populated island of less than 300,000 people. It occupies 166
square miles and is only 21 miles long and 14 miles wide at
its widest point. Its location almost 100 miles east of its
closest neighbor shielded it from feuding Spaniards and Frenchmen
who craved other areas of the Caribbean. Throughout its history,
Barbados remained comfortable under stolid British rule. The
island is sometimes referred to as the “Little England
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of the Caribbean.” But Bajans, as islanders call themselves,
have selectively borrowed from the British. Tea, yes, but don’t
forget Barbados is as care-free West Indian as the rest of the Caribbean.
With its past history of slavery and sugar cane domination behind
it, Barbados in the last century went through hard times, particularly
in the 1930s when the prices for crops such as sugar dropped. Wages
were low. Working hours were long. Racism and a rigid class system
also led to social upheaval. Today, however, that has changed dramatically.
The United Nations ranked Barbados 29 in the Human Development Index,
which made it No. 1 in the world’s developing nations. The country
has beefed up its education system to give it one of the highest literacy
rates in the world, 99.7%. That’s much higher than many developed
countries.
More Information:
 www.state.gov
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