1623 BC

The first indigenous people of Barbados were Amerindians arriving from Venezuela braving dangerous ocean currents in canoes to settle on this unique island paradise in the city now known as Port St. Charles. Throughout history, the island has also been inhabited by tribes of Arawaks and Caribs Amerindians, but it wasn’t until in 1200 AD, Portuguese explorer, Pedro a Campos, landed did the island become appropriately named for its bearded fig trees – Los Barbados (bearded ones).

1492 AD

The island was taken over by the Spanish who then imposed slavery on the Caribs. The Caribs no longer exist due to hardships of slavery and disease brought from Europe. The Spanish turned out not to be interested in colonizing this tiny island, and on May 16th 1625 the first English ship landed on the island and Barbados was claimed for England by Cpt. John Powell on behalf of King James I.

1627

 In 1627 Captain Henry Powell landed with a party of 80 settlers and 10 slaves, to occupy and settle the island. They landed in Jamestown which is known today as Holetown. The colonists established a House of Assembly in 1639. It was the 3rd ever Parliamentary Democracy in the world. Crops of sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton grew on plantations dependent on slave labor. In 1816 a slave known as Bussa led the first slave revolt. Slavery was abolished in 1834.

1966

 Barbados, the most easterly of all the Caribbean Islands, was first occupied by the British in 1627 and remained a British colony until internal autonomy was granted in 1961. The Island gained full independence on November 30th 1966, and maintains ties to the Britain monarch represented in Barbados by the Governor General. The first leader of Barbados as a free nation was the Right Honourable Errol Walton Barrow, of the Democratic Labour Party. The recently elected Prime Minister is the Right Honourable David Thompson.

 *A commonwealth country; independent since November 30, 1966.

*Capital: Bridgetown

*The eastern-most Caribbean island, the ONLY coral island in the region with ALL white sand beaches.

*21 miles long and 14 miles wide

*The United Nations quality of life index in 2008 ranks Barbados 31st out of 177 countries.

*Barbados is the lone Caribbean nation to make the top 40 list of the 2009 Human Development Report, placing 37th by UN analysts.

*Literacy rate of 97%

*Temperature of 23 – 32 C year round (75–90 F)