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The British ruled Barbados for 340 uninterrupted years before independence and left an indelible, slightly formal imprint on this former sugar colony. There's considerable pride in the Barbados Parliament and more than a touch of Little England in the local passion for cricket, the ritual of afternoon tea, and dressing for dinner in some quarters. Barbados takes its name from the huge native bearded fig tree, also known as a banyan, which drops a curtain of aerial roots to the ground. Portuguese explorers called them los Barbados (bearded ones). Although Amerindian settlers discovered the island almost 4,000 years ago, it was uninhabited when British colonists landed near the site of Holetown on the west coast in 1627. Dutch settlers played a significant part in developing the early plantations, and they introduced sugarcane from Brazil in 1637. As the colony prospered, indentured laborers were shipped out from Britain, and soon African slaves were brought in to swell the plantation workforce. With the abolition of slavery in 1834, the sugar industry lurched from virtual failure to moderate success in the early 20th century, but another downswing in the economy in 1937 led to rioting and the establishment of a strong labor union movement, which worked toward independence from Britain in 1966. Beyond the sprawling capital city of Bridgetown, and the resort areas to either side, the landscape is remarkably rural. Cane fields and pockets of woodland roll back from the leeward coast, while Mount Hillaby (1,089 feet/340 m), and the 1,000-foot (300-m) crestof Hackleton's Cliff are poised dramatically above the Atlantic on the windward coast. The island is divided into eleven parishes (Christ Church and ten named after saints), which are frequently given as an address rather than the name of a village. Antigua and Barbuda independent island state, West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It consists of three of the Leeward Islands—Antigua and two smaller islands, Barbuda to the north and Redonda, an uninhabited rocky islet, to the southwest. The total area is 442 sq km (171 sq mi), and the country has a population of 64,006 (1998 estimate). Antigua is a generally low-lying island but rises to 470 m (1,542 ft) atop Boggy Peak. Barbuda is a flat coral island with fine beaches. The climate is tropical, but the islands are subject to drought. The country's economy is largely dependent on tourism; also important are the raising of cotton, fruits, and sugarcane. Antigua and Barbuda's gross domestic product (GDP) was $502 million in 1995. Fishing is important in Barbuda. Manufactures include refined petroleum, rum, clothing, furniture, and electrical equipment. The unit of currency is the East Caribbean dollar of 100 cents (2.70 East Caribbean dollars equal U.S.$1, fixed rate since 1976). Saint John's (population, 1990 estimate, 23,000), the capital and principal port, is located on the northwestern coast of Antigua. The country's people are mostly of African descent. HistoryChristopher Columbus was the first European to land on the island he named Antigua in 1493. Inhabited by the Carib tribe, the island was not successfully colonized until 1632, when the British established a settlement. Barbuda was colonized by settlers from Antigua in 1661. From 1958 to 1962 Antigua (which included the dependencies of Barbuda and Redonda) was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. In 1967 it became an internally self-governing state in association with the United Kingdom. On November 1, 1981, it became the independent state of Antigua and Barbuda. Executive power is nominally invested in a governor-general, who represents the British crown. Actual executive power belongs to a prime minister, who is a member of the parliament. In September 1995 Hurricane Luis tore through the eastern Caribbean, inflicting great destruction upon Antigua and Barbuda. The tropical storm damaged or destroyed more than 75 percent of the island nation's buildings, causing an estimated $300 million in property damage. The government declared a national emergency and asked the United Nations for financial and technical assistance. According to officials of the United Nations Development Program, development in Antigua and Barbuda was set back by at least 10 years. If you have noteworthy cultural information on any Caribbean island, we would like to hear from you. Maybe you are an expert in geography, or knowledgeable on architecture, or specialize in Caribbean anthropology, or train tropical parrots, etc., send us an email. Share your knowledge and talents by sending your edited copy and permission so that we can include this on the Caribbean Cultural Center website. Please, no copyrighted material. |
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