SITE MAP

Looking at the past.

"We write our names on history's page"

The first people to live on the island were Amerindians who came about some 4,000 years ago from south America. For the next 3,000 or so years, there was much going and coming of these Amerindians tribes, mostly peaceful Arawaks who lived in the area where the Post St. Charles Marina is currently being developed.

However, by the time the Portuguese came in 1536, they found it deserted. Although they opted not to settle on the island, they gave it a name, "Los Barbados" which was derived from their fascination of the aerial roots of the Bearded Fig tree which looks like a long thick beard. "Barba" means beard and "Barbados" translates to the bearded ones.

None of the Europeans chose to settle in Barbados until some English arrived in 1625. To them it island represented a golden opportunity to acquire a colony with tremendous scope for agricultural development. Having landed at what is now Holetown, in the parish of St. James, they claimed the island in the name of King James and left with the intention of returning with a settlement in two years.

Slaves were later brought in from West Africa to work on the sugar plantations, but because of the cruel treatment from the Caucasian plantation owners, they were many riots and rebellions like the famous 1816 Bussa rebellion, to which a statue of the runaway slave "Bussa" has been erected in Memorial.

Today

In 1966, Barbados gained independence from Britain under the leadership of the late Errol Barrow, who was then Premier. Barbados retains the West-Minister style of parliament with executive authority being vested to the Prime Minister and cabinet, who are collectively responsible to parliament. In 32 years as an independent nation, Barbados has steadily progressed under leadership of its two main political parties. The current Prime Minister is the honourable Mr. Owen Arthur who was voted into leadership on September 6^th 1994.

"Small is beautiful!"

The island is a mere 166 square miles in size with a population of about 265,000, and temperatures ranging daily from 24 ^oC to 30 ^oC.