Barbados

Welcome to the gem of the Caribbean that's shaped like a pear and famous for fish that can fly! Barbados is like a tropical paradise with a proper British accent, where you can watch cricket matches on the beach, sip world-famous rum, and see amazing flying fish leap out of the ocean and glide through the air like birds. This beautiful coral island nation is the easternmost country in the Caribbean and has created a unique culture that perfectly blends Caribbean warmth with British traditions.

Barbados gained its independence from Great Britain on November 30, 1966, after more than 300 years as a British colony. The name "Barbados" comes from the Portuguese word "os barbados," meaning "the bearded ones," referring to the island's native bearded fig trees whose long aerial roots looked like beards hanging from the branches. Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos gave the island this name when he stopped there in 1536.

Map of Barbados showing its 11 parishes and position as the easternmost Caribbean island. Image Credit: Carport, Wikimedia Commons

Barbadian national symbols: blue and yellow flag with trident, bearded fig tree, brown pelican, and colorful Barbadian dollar featuring flying fish. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): User:Denelson83, Wikimedia Commons; Dick Culbert, Wikimedia Commons; Frank Schulenburg, Wikimedia Commons; Mark Morgan, Wikimedia Commons

BARBADOS FACTS

INDEPENDENCE: November 30, 1966 (58 years ago)

POPULATION: About 280,000 people

CAPITAL: Bridgetown

PARISHES: 11 parishes

BIGGEST CITY: Bridgetown (61,000 people)

NATIONAL BIRD: Brown Pelican

NATIONAL FLOWER: Pride of Barbados (Red Bird of Paradise)

Barbados coral geography: Harrison's Cave underground limestone formations, pink sand beaches of the east coast, West Coast calm waters, and Scotland District's rolling hills. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): Berit, Wikimedia Commons; Veronidae, Wikimedia Commons; Postdlf, Wikimedia Commons; Kaspar C, Wikimedia Commons

Amazing Wildlife

The amazing flying fish is Barbados' most famous resident and appears on the country's coins and passport! These incredible fish can leap out of the water and glide up to 650 feet using their wing-like fins. The brown pelican, the national bird, is an expert fisher that dives headfirst into the ocean to catch fish. Barbados is also home to sea turtles that nest on the beaches, colorful reef fish, and the green monkey that was brought from West Africa centuries ago.

Barbados' unique animals: flying fish, brown pelicans diving for fish, hawksbill sea turtles nesting on beaches, and green monkeys in tropical trees. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann, Wikimedia Commons; Charles J. Sharp, Wikimedia Commons; Hossein Tahavori, Wikimedia Commons; SkippingShoe, Wikimedia Commons

Natural Resources

Barbados is world-famous for producing excellent rum - in fact, rum was invented here over 350 years ago! The island's coral soil is perfect for growing sugar cane, which is used to make this golden liquid treasure. Barbados also has natural gas deposits offshore and produces some of the sweetest flying fish in the Caribbean, which is the national dish served with cou-cou (cornmeal and okra).

Barbados' sweet treasures: rum distilleries processing sugar cane into world-famous spirits and sugar cane fields swaying in the Caribbean breeze. Image Credits (from left to right): Hiltrud Trottenberg, Wikimedia Commons; Postdlf, Wikimedia Commons

Barbados truly is a coral jewel in the Caribbean crown, where British traditions meet tropical paradise and every day brings the chance to see fish fly through the Caribbean sky!