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Barbados Cities with Hotels
 Barbados, independent state and easternmost
island of the West Indies. It lies east of Saint Vincent and the Windward
Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The island is 34 km (21 mi) long and 23 km (14
mi) wide at its widest part, and has a total area of 431 sq km (166 sq mi).
 Some of the hotels, motels and resorts available for
booking in our reservation network include, Ramada Inn, Marriott Hotels, Super 8
Motels, Econo Lodge, Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, Travelodge, Hampton Inn,
Sheraton, Hilton, Best Western, Hyatt and Hyatt Regency, Wyndham Inn, Ritz and
Ritz Carlton, Days Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, La Quinta Inns, Comfort Inn and
Comfort Suite, Embassy Suites, Quality Inn, Radisson Inn, Sleep Inn, Numerous
Resorts and Resort Villas throughout the globe, along with Plaza and Plaza
Suites and and array of private and Golf Clubs and Golf Resorts.
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Barbados
Land and Resources
Barbados is generally flat along the coast and hilly in the
interior. Mount Hillaby, the highest point, rises to 336 m (1104 ft). Coral
deposits form the surface of the island and are under laid by sedimentary
rock. Barbados has no natural deepwater harbors and is largely surrounded by
coral reefs. The climate is tropical, tempered by sea breezes; the mean
annual temperature is about 26.1° C (about 79° F). A rainy season prevails
from June to December, with average annual rainfall varying from 1000 mm
(about 40 in) on the coast to 2300 mm (about 90 in) on the central ridge.
Hurricanes occasionally strike the island. Wildlife is limited and includes
hares, monkeys, mongooses, tree frogs, and various species of birds.
Barbados lacks mineral resources, and nearly all the natural vegetation has
been cleared for cultivation.
Population, Education, and Cultural Activity
The population of Barbados (1990) was 257,082. The average
population density of 572 persons per sq km (1482 per sq mi) was notably
high considering the predominantly rural agricultural character of the
island. The annual growth rate of the population during the 1970s and 1980s
was kept below 1 percent by out-migration. The capital, largest city, and
only seaport is Bridgetown, with a population (1990) of 6720.
About 90 percent of the total population is black; the remaining portion is
composed of whites and persons of mixed racial descent. English is the
official language. More than 50 percent of the people are Anglicans; other
important faiths include various Protestant sects and Roman Catholicism.
Education is free for children between the ages of 5 and 16. In the late
1980s approximately 31,700 pupils were enrolled in primary schools and
25,300 were enrolled in secondary schools. A campus of the University of the
West Indies was established at Bridgetown in 1963.
The culture of Barbados combines English institutions, which
evolved through more than three centuries of English rule, with a folk
culture of African origin. The music and dances of Barbados reflect more
purely the African heritage. The island has a museum and public library in
Bridgetown and two daily newspapers.
"Barbados," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Anguilla • Antigua/Barbuda • Aruba • Bahamas • Barbados • Bermuda • British West Indies • British Virgin Isles • Cayman Islands • Dominica • Dominican Republic • Grenada • Guadeloupe • Haiti • Jamaica • Martinique • Puerto Rico • St Kitts & Nevis • St Lucia • St Vincent/Grenadines • Turks/Caicos Isles • Trinidad & Tobago • US Virgin Islands
Last Revised: May 18, 2007 11:23 PM, |
