History of Barbados

Barbados was inhabited by Arawaks and Caribs at the time of European colonization of the Americas in the 16th century. The island was an English and later British colony from 1625 until 1966. Since 1966, it has been a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, modelled on the Westminster system, with Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados, as head of state.

Prehistory

Some evidence suggests that Barbados may have been settled in the second millennium BC, but this is limited to fragments of conch lip adzes found in association with shells radiocarbon-dated to c.1630 BC. Fully documented Amerindian settlement dates to between about 350 to 650 AD, by a group known as the Saladoid-Barrancoid, who arrived from mainland South America. A second wave of migrants appeared around the year 800 (the Spanish referred to these people as "Arawaks") and a third in the mid-13th century (called "Caribs" by the Spanish). This last group was more politically organised and came to rule over the others.

Barbados

Coordinates: 13°10′N 59°33′W / 13.167°N 59.550°W / 13.167; -59.550

Barbados (ⁱ/bɑːrˈbeɪdɒs/ or /bɑːrˈbeɪdoʊs/) is a sovereign island country in the Lesser Antilles, in the Americas. It is 34 kilometres (21 mi) in length and up to 23 kilometres (14 mi) in width, covering an area of 432 square kilometres (167 sq mi). It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres (62 mi) east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about 168 kilometres (104 mi) east of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 400 kilometres (250 mi) north-east of Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados is outside of the principal Atlantic hurricane belt. Its capital is Bridgetown.

Inhabited by Kalingo people since the 13th century, and prior to that by other Amerindians, Barbados was visited by Spanish navigators in the late 15th century and claimed for the Spanish Crown. It first appears on a Spanish map from 1511. The Portuguese visited the island in 1536, but they left it unclaimed, with their only remnants being an introduction of wild hogs for a good supply of meat whenever the island was visited. An English ship, the Olive Blossom, arrived in Barbados in 1625; its men took possession of it in the name of King James I. In 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England, and it became an English and later British colony.

Barbados (Typically Tropical song)

"Barbados" was a UK Number 1 single released in May 1975 by Typically Tropical. "Barbados" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 37 in late June 1975, and five weeks later was at Number 1 for a week. In total, "Barbados" spent eleven weeks on the chart. The track also reached Number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart, Number 1 on the South African Singles Chart, and 20 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report). The track was later released on an album in 1975 by Gull Records. The album was named Barbados Sky.

Follow-up singles "Rocket Now" and "The Ghost Song" failed to chart, leaving "Typically Tropical" as one-hit wonders.

In 1999 a reworked version of the song, renamed "We're Going to Ibiza", also reached the UK Number 1 spot for The Vengaboys.

See also

References

Barbados (composition)

"Barbados" is a jazz tune composed by Charlie Parker. It is a twelve-bar blues set to a mambo rhythm. Parker first recorded it on 29 August, 1948, with Miles Davis (trumpet), John Lewis (piano), Curly Russell (bass) and Max Roach (drums).

Notes