Barbados: flag, capital, currency and history

Barbados is a country in Caribbean, the Americas. Its capital is Bridgetown. The currency is the Barbadian dollar. Languages spoken include English.

Quick facts about Barbados

Official name: Barbados
Capital: Bridgetown
Region: Americas, Caribbean
Currency: Barbadian dollar (BBD, $)
Languages: English
Calling code: +1246
Internet domain: .bb
Area: 430 km² (166 sq mi)
Land borders: None (island or surrounded by water)
Demonym: Barbadian
National day: Independence Day, November 30

Flag of Barbados

Download the flag of Barbados as a scalable SVG or as a PNG in three sizes. The flag emoji is 🇧🇧.

SVG (vector)

History of Barbados

Barbados was inhabited by Indigenous peoples before European contact, though it was largely uninhabited when English settlers arrived in 1627. It developed a sugar economy worked by enslaved Africans, and the island remained under continuous British rule for centuries. Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in the 1830s. Barbados joined the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958 and became independent on 30 November 1966. It remained a Commonwealth realm until it became a republic in 2021. Bridgetown is its capital.

Key dates

1627English settlers establish the first lasting colony on Barbados.
1834Slavery is abolished in the British Empire, including Barbados.
1958Barbados joins the West Indies Federation.
1961Barbados attains internal self-government.
1966Barbados becomes independent on 30 November.
2021Barbados becomes a republic and removes the British monarch as head of state.

A short overview, not a full history. Dates are given for well-documented events only.