Barbados

                                                                                                                            Page Updated  01 December 2024

Location and Origin of the Name

Barbados is a small  island country located in the Caribbean.  Its latittude and longtitude co-ordinates are 13.19 degrees north,  59.54 degrees west.  Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands.  Travelling southwestwards from the UK mainland towards the Caribbean,  Barbados would be the first island you'll come accross.  Barbados is 4hrs behind the UK.  The flight time between London and Bridgetown is roughly 8hr 30mins.

The original name was "Los Barbados",  meaning "The Bearded One",   given by the Portuguese because of the bearded fig trees on the island.  However, the "Los" was subsequently dropped and the island became known as "Barbados".

The British Connection

Barbados  was a British colony until independence on 30 November 1966.  Barbados has a  parliamentary democracy as in the UK and it has enjoyed stability since independence - a rare achievement amongst the countries colonised by the British. 

 Although Barbados became a "Republic"  on 30 November 2021,  there has been very little noticable change  in the way the country is governed.  By the way,  our  late Queen  did not actually  rule Barbados,  she  was  Head of State, (figure head).    

Barbados has eleven "parishes" which are local areas  similar to "counties" or "boroughs" in England.  Barbados has no "city".   Barbados has  four towns - Bridgetown which is the capital, Oistins, Holetown and Speightown - and villages.  

Barbados is a developed country.  It has good infrastructure - road,  communication,  power and water supplies.  In addition, the education sytem and the health service  are  comparable to the UK - my opinion!  I think the Bajan government deserves an award for the way they managed the covid crisis and for the innovative "welcome stamp". 

The People

The nationals of Barbados are called "Barbadians" or "Bajans".  The majority of the population are black - descendants of black African slaves.  In addition,  Barbados has a sizeable number of white,  asian and mixed race population.  Majority of Bajans are Christians.  English is the official language in Barbados.  The local currency is Barbadian Dollar (BD$).  Vehicles drive on the left as in the UK. 

Public  Transport

Buses only in Barbados .  Barbados has no railway or underground transport system.  There are three kinds of buses.  (1)  Government operated "Blue" buses,  and (2)   "Yellow" buses which are owned by private operators and (3)  "White" mini buses, aka "ZRs" which are also owned by private operators.  

Which ever bus you use,   the fare is the same. It is currently fixed at BD$3.50 per passenger, per journey.  Destinations are displayed and you can ask before boarding.  

Please note that there are no night buses.  Buses stop running  from about 10pm  to 11pm depending on the route.  Always check with the bus operators regarding last journeys. 

If you are staying out late and you need a ride home,   it might be a good idea to pre-book a taxi and agree the fare.  You can obtain details of licensed taxi  from your hotel or from bars and restaurants.