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Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean chain of islands. It lies well to the east of the West Indies, making it the most windward of the Windward Islands. With it's 430 square and have always been kilometres, it's just a modest drop of land in the Caribbean sea, but 97 kilometres of coastline create Barbados wonderful destination for an active holiday.
An island in the Atlantic about 300 mi (483 km) north of Venezuela, Barbados is just 21 mi extensive (34 km) and 14 mi across (23 km) at its widest point. It is circled by fine beaches and narrow coastal plains. Did you know that the highest point is Mount Hillaby (1,105 ft; 337 m) in the north-central area.

Barbados has been populated since the 4th century by varying Indian tribes. Visited by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries, it wasn’t until the British arrived in 1625 and claimed it for the King of England, James I that outsiders established permanent residence on the island. Many arrived as indentured servants, giving five years of labor in exchange for land and a small stipend. By the mid 1600’s, Barbados was bolstered by trade from the sugar industry, with large plantations switching from tobacco to sugarcane. As the industry relied heavily on slave labor, rebellions rose after the British abolished the slave trade in 1807. Barbados gained independence from the British Commonwealth in 1966 after years of failed political maneuvering. Currently, Barbados is a top tourist destination in the Caribbean, due to its advanced development and vast beaches.

Safely outside of the hurricane belt, Barbados is found in the western portion of the North Atlantic Ocean. Classified as a “tropical monsoon climate”, citizens and vacationers endure between 40 and 90 inches of precipitation annually, with the majority of the rain occurring during the “wet season” between March and November. With light breezes ranging between 8 to 10 miles per hour, the temperature remains relatively steady throughout the year between 70 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

Barbados is home to an estimated 284,000 people, and ranks as the eighteenth most densely populated country in the world. Over 90% of the citizens are classified as “Afro-Bajans”; Barbadians of African and mixed-descent. The remaining 10% of the population include the following groups: the Euro-Bajans, the Indo-Guyanese, Chinese, Arabs, Jews, and Indians from the Gujarat region of India.