10 things you might not know about BARBADOS

BARBADOS became the world’s newest republic on Tuesday.

The island nation removed the Queen as its head of state and swore in its first ever Barbadian president.

But what else do we know about the place?

1

BARBADOS is in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, situated about 100 miles east of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The island measures some 20 miles from northwest to southeast and about 15 miles from east to west at its widest point.

2

THE name “Barbados” is from either Portuguese os barbudos or the Spanish equivalent, los barbudos, both meaning “the bearded ones”.

3

THE capital and largest town is Bridgetown, which is also the main seaport.

4

THE 2010 national census conducted by the

Barbados Statistical Service reported a resident population of 277,821, of which 144,803 were female and 133,018 were male.

5

THE island was a British possession without interruption from 1625 to 1966. 6

THE colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on the labour of enslaved Africans who worked on the island’s plantations. The slave trade to the island continued until it was outlawed by the Slave Trade Act 1807.

7

BARBADOS’ biggest star is Rihanna, who grew up in Bridgetown.

8

ONE of the 18 Concordes still in existence basks in splendid retirement in a hangar at the island’s Grantley Adams International Airport.

9

BARBADOS has defence treaties with the United Kingdom, the United States… and the People’s Republic of China.

10

BARBADOS has produced many great cricketers including Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, Gordon Greenidge, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Joel Garner, Desmond Haynes and Malcolm Marshall ( below).