Barbados is a small Island, measuring no more than 34 km by 23 km and situated approx. 150 km to the East of the other Caribbean Islands, which theoretically places it outside of the principal Atlantic hurricane belt. Its capital is Bridgetown.
It is distinctly different from the other Islands in that geologically it is formed from coral rather than volcanic deposits. It has a colourful history, occupied in turn by the Spanish, Portuguese and the British, who colonised the island in 1627, eventually becoming a British colony and then gaining Independence in 1966.
Historically the economy of Barbados was dependent on sugarcane but since the late 1970s it has developed into what is now probably the leading tourist destination in the Caribbean and a favourite Port of Call for Cruise Ships!