Barbados

Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. Bridgetown, the capital, is a cruise-ship port with colonial buildings and Nidhe Israel, a synagogue founded in 1654. Around the island are beaches, botanical gardens, the Harrison’s Cave formation, and 17th-century plantation houses like St. Nicholas Abbey. Local traditions include afternoon tea and cricket, the national sport. nhabited by Kalinago 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. The name Barbados is either the Portuguese word Barbados or the Spanish equivalent los Barbados, both meaning "the bearded ones". Barbados is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the other West Indies Islands. Barbados is the easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles. It is flat in comparison to its island neighbours to the west, the Windward Islands.

Climate:
Barbados weather is generally warm and sunny all year round with an average daytime high of 30°C / 86°F. In fact, Barbados has over 3,000 hours of sunshine each year! The prevailing northeast tradewinds blow steadily so that although it is bright and sunny, it is not unbearably hot. The nights are usually slightly cooler. The rain typically comes in quick showers. The dry season lasts from January to June. Barbados weather is mostly sunny and fair with warm days, cool winds and cozy nights. It rains mostly in summer and a good rainfall is refreshing and much needed. Rain is usually followed quickly by sunny skies and within minutes everything will be dry. Hurricanes usually avoid Barbados. They arise off the African Coast and head to the Caribbean, swinging North about 100 miles from Barbados.

Timeline:
1536 - Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos visits the island.
1627 - Captain Henry Powell lands a party of English settlers who establish a colony, which they then develop as a sugar plantation economy using slaves brought in from Africa.
1639 - Barbados's first parliament, the House of Assembly, holds its first meeting.
1663 - Barbados is made into an English crown possession.
1816 - Slaves stage a revolt.
1834 - Slavery abolished.
1876 - British proposal for a confederation of Barbados and the Windward Islands triggers bloody riots in Barbados.
1937 - Outbreak of riots in response to poor economic conditions; British Royal Commission sent in to investigate conditions; Barbados Labour Party (BLP) founded by Grantley Adams.
1951 - Universal adult suffrage introduced; BLP wins general elections.
1954 - Ministerial government set up with Grantley Adams as premier.
1955 - Democratic Labour Party (DLP) formed out of a splinter of the BLP.
1958-62 - Barbados a member of the British-sponsored Federation of the West Indies, of which Grantley Adams became the first prime minister.
1961 - Barbados granted full internal self-government with DLP leader Errol Barrow as premier.
1966 - Barbados becomes independent with Barrow as prime minister.
1967 - Barbados joins the United Nations.
1972 - Barbados establishes relations with Cuba.
1976 - BLP, led by Tom Adams, the son of Grantley Adams, returns to power after winning the first general elections since 1961.
1983 - Barbados supports and provides a base for the US invasion of Grenada.
1985 - Adams dies and is replaced by Bernard St John (BLP) as prime minister.
1986 - Errol Barrow becomes prime minister after his DLP wins the general elections.
1987 - Erskine Lloyd Sandiford (DLP) becomes prime minister following the death of Barrow.
1994 - Owen Arthur becomes prime minister after his BLP wins a decisive victory in the general elections, securing 19 of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament.
1999 - BLP wins a landslide in the general elections, capturing 26 of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly.
2002 - Barbados is removed from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) list of countries deemed to be uncooperative tax havens. The country was put on the list in 2000.
2003 May - BLP wins 23 of 30 seats in general elections; Owen Arthur returned for third term.
2004 February - Sea border disagreement with Trinidad and Tobago flares after arrest of Barbadian fishermen. Barbados takes border case to UN-backed tribunal.
2008 January - Parliamentary elections won by opposition Democratic Labour Party. David Thompson becomes prime minister.
2008 July - Launch of bid for offshore oil exploration leads to row with Venezuela over demarcation of maritime border.
2009 March - PM David Thompson survives no-confidence vote brought over his handling of financial crisis precipitated by collapse of Trinidad-based insurance company Clico - the region's biggest casualty of global financial crisis.
2010 October - Prime Minister Thompson dies in office. Freundel Stuart becomes PM.

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1154227.stm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados
http://www.barbados.org/weather.htm
https://www.visitbarbados.org/