Barbados | History, People, Independence, Map, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

Who are the people of Barbados history? ›

The earliest inhabitants of Barbados were indigenous groups who began arriving by canoe from South America (Venezuela's Orinoco Valley) around 350 CE. Among these were the Taino (Arawak) who set up several settlements on the island after 800 CE. They were later joined by Kalinago (Carib) migrants in the 13th century.

The British established a colony in Barbados in 1627 and began growing cotton and tobacco. The sugar industry didn't begin in Barbados until the 1640s. Unlike the other Caribbean islands, Barbados has never been invaded by a foreign power since the British took rule in 1627.

The first settlement began on 17 February 1627, near what is now Holetown (formerly Jamestown, after King James I of England), by a group led by John Powell's younger brother, Henry, consisting of 80 settlers and 10 English indentured labourers. Some sources state that some Africans were amongst these first settlers.

Following a June 1966 constitutional conference with Great Britain at which Barbados negotiated its independence, Barbados because an independent state within the British Commonwealth on November 30, 1966.

Barbados is a high-income service econo- my. However, the country's economic achievements remain vulnerable due to its small size, heavy dependence on tourism at 17 percent of GDP, and considerable exposure to climate change risks.

Barbados has an average temperature of 28 degrees year-round. The people of Barbados are officially called Barbadians, but more commonly known as Bajans (BAY-juns). The National Sport of Barbados is Cricket. Barbados is the 13th smallest country in the world.

Two years later on 17 February 1627, a ship captained by Henry Powell (a brother to John), arrived with 80 settlers and 10 press-ganged Irish and English workers who established the first settlement named Jamestown – known today as Holetown. This was the beginning of the history of Barbados island, as we know it today.

Portuguese and Spanish explorers identified the island in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but did not settle the land. In 1627, a London merchant company began the first colonization of Barbados with eighty free and ten enslaved people.

The official Barbados language is English. Local Bajan dialect is also spoken.

How old is Barbados Independence? ›

Barbados became independent on November 30, 1966, after joining the ill-fated West Indies Federation (1958–62).

The Barbados Independence Act 1966, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, transformed the Colony of Barbados into a sovereign state with an independent constitutional monarchy. The Queen's cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, represented her at the independence celebrations.

Under its constitution, Barbados is a parliamentary democracy modeled on the British system. The governor general represents the monarch. Control of the government rests with the cabinet, headed by the prime minister and responsible to the Parliament.

People born in Barbados can either be referred to as Barbadian or as Bajan. Barbadian tends to be the term used by visitors to the country, while people who are native to Barbados generally refer to themselves as Bajan.

Most Barbadians are of African or mixed-race descent. They are descendants of enslaved people brought from West Africa. Mixed-race Barbadians are descendants of Europeans, Africans, and other ethnic groups. White Barbadians are mainly of British and Irish descent.

The influence of the slave trade also impacted the ethnic makeup of Barbados, where the majority of the population identifies as ethnically African. A significant minority in the population is descended from Irish indentured servants.

The island, which is less that one million years old, was created by the collision of the Atlantic crustal and Caribbean plates, along with a volcanic eruption. Later coral formed, accumulating to approximately 300 feet. It is geologically unique, being actually two land masses that merged together over the years.

In the early 1640s there were probably 37,000 whites and 6,000 Blacks; by 1684 there were about 20,000 whites and 46,000 Blacks; and in 1834, when slavery was abolished, there were some 15,000 whites and 88,000 Blacks and coloureds.