Barbados is a Caribbean island located in the western North Atlantic with an area of approximately 431 square kilometers. It was first explored by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1400s-1500s and then claimed by the British in 1624, becoming a British colony three years later when English settlers arrived. Barbados gained independence in 1966 while retaining Queen Elizabeth II as its constitutional monarch.
Barbados is a Caribbean island located in the western North Atlantic with an area of approximately 431 square kilometers. It was first explored by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1400s-1500s and then claimed by the British in 1624, becoming a British colony three years later when English settlers arrived. Barbados gained independence in 1966 while retaining Queen Elizabeth II as its constitutional monarch.
Barbados is a Caribbean island located in the western North Atlantic with an area of approximately 431 square kilometers. It was first explored by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1400s-1500s and then claimed by the British in 1624, becoming a British colony three years later when English settlers arrived. Barbados gained independence in 1966 while retaining Queen Elizabeth II as its constitutional monarch.
with an estimated four hundred thirty-one square kilometers. It was first explored by the Spanish in the fourteen hundreds followed by the Portuguese in the fifteen hundreds. Later in sixteen twenty four, an English ship called the Olive Blossom arrived and claimed possession of the land under the reign of King James the First. Three years later English settlers arrived and it became a British colony.
The name of the island is said to come
from the Spanish expression "Los Barbudos," meaning "the bearded ones." There are many theories as to why it was given this name, some of which include the possible reference to the hanging roots of the bearded fig-tree, the foam spraying over the outlying reefs or more simply the bearded indigenous inhabitants of the island. There is a population of approximately two hundred eighty-four thousand with more than forty per cent living within the largest city and capital Bridgetown or in its suburbs. Between nineteen forty six and nineteen eighty over thirty per cent of the population immigrated to Britain. Barbados became an independent state in nineteen sixty six, retaining Queen Elizabeth the Second as Head of State. Regarding the climate in Barbados, it is said to have two seasons. Wet season runs from June to November and is so-named for its higher level of rainfall. From December to May the island experiences what they call dry season. Average temperatures in dry season range from twenty one to thirty one degrees centigrade while they range from twenty three to thirty one degrees centigrade in wet season. It is not extremely uncommon to experience natural disasters in Barbados like earthquakes, landslips, and hurricanes. The last significant hit from a hurricane which caused severe damage to Barbados was Hurricane Janet in nineteen fifty-five. The seventeen eighty hurricane killed over four thousand people on the island. The official language of Barbados is English and tends to conform to the vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and conventions akin to but not exactly the same as those of British English. Natives of Barbados speak a variant of English they refer to as Bajan, moreover in informal situations. It is highly influenced by other Caribbean English dialects and is said to be a fusion of British English and elements borrowed from the languages of West Africa. Famous people that come from Barbados include Grammy-winning Rihanna, who was born in Saint Michael in nineteen eighty eight. In two thousand nine she was appointed as an official Honorary Ambassador of youth and culture for Barbados by the late Prime Minister, David Thompson.
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