Interesting facts about Barbados

For our 20th birthday we have been looking at some facts about Barbados and chatting to our friends at the Barbados Museum to find out more about the island.

 

Here are favourite top 10 interesting and little known facts about this beautiful island:

1. There are 1,500 rum shops across the island which is not bad going when you consider the size of the island!

2. The 3,500 churches are often located next to the rum shops – ‘keeping the spirits together’

3. You’ll notice that many houses in Barbados are half-painted – this is done in order to pay a lower land tax bill. If only half-painted, the building is said to be under-construction and too incomplete to pay full tax

4. Barbados is hailed as “The land of the flying fish” – Flying fish jump out of the water and can glide for 30 to 50 metres!

5. Barbados was originally named Los Barbados, meaning ‘the bearded ones’.
The many fig trees on the island had long hanging, aerial roots which made the trees look like they had beards, hence the name ‘Los Barbados.’

6. Barbados has never been successfully invaded by a foreign power.

7. It is believed that the grapefruit was created in Barbados sometime in the 1700’s. It was exported to Florida in the 1800’s and then spread to the rest of the world.

8. South Carolina, in the USA, was originally settled by Barbadians, and it’s first Governor was a Barbadian

9. Barbados is home to a large Mongoosepopulation. Originally imported from India to take care of the rats in the sugar cane fields. Instead they ate the snakes, which was the original predator of the rats.

10. Barbadosis the 3rd most developed country in the Western Hemisphere after the US and Canada.