Barbados: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Barbados is a small island country in the Caribbean, lying a little east of the main chain of islands, out in the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Bridgetown, and about 280,000 people live on the island, which is only about 430 square kilometres in size. Barbados is known for its sandy beaches, coral reefs, cricket, flying fish and its long history as one of the oldest British colonies in the Caribbean.

On My Earth Toy you can visit the Parliament Buildings in Bridgetown, a pair of grey stone buildings with pointed windows and a clock tower. Barbados has one of the oldest parliaments in the Americas, first meeting in 1639.

Geography and nature

Unlike many Caribbean islands, which are volcanic, Barbados is mostly made of coral limestone that built up over a very long time. The west coast has calm, clear water and white beaches, while the east coast faces the Atlantic with big waves and rocky shores. The land rises gently to hills in the middle. Underground, rainwater has carved caves such as Harrison's Cave, full of stalactites. Green monkeys, brought from West Africa centuries ago, live in the island's woods.

People, languages and culture

English is the official language, and people also speak Bajan, a local Creole. Most Barbadians, called Bajans, have African ancestors, and most are Christian. Cricket is the national passion, and the island has produced many famous players. The national dish is cou-cou, a cornmeal and okra dish, served with flying fish. Crop Over, a summer festival that began as a celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest, fills the streets with music and costumes.

History in a nutshell

Indigenous peoples from South America once lived on the island. English settlers arrived in 1627 and built sugar plantations worked by enslaved Africans, a system that lasted until slavery ended in the 1830s. Barbados became independent from Britain on 30 November 1966. Exactly 55 years later, on 30 November 2021, it became a republic with its own president instead of the British monarch as head of state.