Map of Barbados
Barbados is a country in North America with its capital at Bridgetown, home to about 282,623 people across 439 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns, 1 mountain summits and 1 ports recorded for Barbados in YearMaps.
- Population
- 282,623
- Area
- 439 km²
- Capital
- Bridgetown
- Continent
- North America
Interactive Map of Barbados
Centred on Bridgetown at 13.1020° N, 59.6165° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Barbados
Barbados is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and is the southernmost and easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates. Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.
Inhabited by Kalinago people since the 13th century, and prior to that by other Indigenous peoples, the island was originally named Ichirouganaim. It was claimed for the Crown of Castile by Spanish navigators in the late 15th century, who named it Barbudos, and it first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511. The Portuguese Empire claimed the island between 1532 and 1536, but abandoned it in 1620; their only traces were the introduction of wild boars intended as a supply of meat whenever the island was visited. The indigenous population had mostly been sold into slavery, killed, or died of disease by that time.
An English ship, the Olive Blossom, arrived in Barbados on 14 May 1625; its men took possession of the island in the name of King James I. In 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England, and Barbados became an English and later British colony. During this period, the colony operated on a plantation economy, relying initially on the labour of Irish indentured servants and subsequently African slaves, who worked on the island's plantations. Slavery continued until it was phased out through most of the British Empire by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. The descendants of these enslaved Africans now account for over 90% of the island's population.
On 30 November 1966, Barbados moved toward political independence and assumed the status of a Commonwealth realm, becoming a sovereign state with Elizabeth II as Queen of Barbados. On 30 November 2021, Barbados transitioned to a republic within the Commonwealth, replacing its monarchy with a ceremonial president.
Barbados is ranked as one of the Caribbean's leading tourist destinations.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Barbados (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Barbados
Barbados was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Enslaved Africans worked the sugar plantations established on the island, which initially dominated the Caribbean sugar industry. By 1720, Barbados was no longer a dominant force within the sugar industry, having been surpassed by the Leeward Islands and Jamaica. Slavery was abolished in 1834. The Barbadian economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. Barbados became a republic in 2021, with the former Governor-General Sandra MASON elected as the first president.
- Location
- Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela.
- Climate
- Tropical; rainy season (June to October)
- Terrain
- Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region.
- Highest point
- Mount Hillaby 336 m.
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m.
- Coastline
- 97 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 0 km.
- Natural resources
- Petroleum, fish, natural gas.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 23.3% (2023 est.); arable land: 16.3% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 4.7% (2023 est.); forest: 14.7% (2023 est.); other: 62.1% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides.
- Geographic note
- Easternmost Caribbean island.
- Languages
- English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings)
- Religions
- Protestant 66.4% (includes Anglican 23.9%, other Pentecostal 19.5%, Adventist 5.9%, Methodist 4.2%, Wesleyan 3.4%, Nazarene 3.2%, Church of God 2.4%, Baptist 1.8%, Moravian 1.2%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 3.8%, other Christian 5.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness 2.0%, other 3.4%), Rastafarian 1%, other 1.5%, none 20.6%, unspecified 1.2% (2010 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- African descent 92.4%, mixed 3.1%, White 2.7%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2010 est.)
- Economy
- High-income Eastern Caribbean economy; high standard of living among regional peers; key tourism, construction, and financial sectors driving recent GDP growth; declining but still very high public debt leading to IMF support programs; susceptible to natural disasters and reliance on import partners.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Barbados in Numbers
- Population
- 282,623
- GDP
- US$8.0 billion
- GDP per person
- US$28,365
- Life expectancy
- 76.3 years
- Population growth
- 0.06% a year
- Population density
- 655 per km²
- Urban population
- 59.7%
- Surface area
- 431 km²
- Forest cover
- 14.6%
- Arable land
- 16.2%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 70.4%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Barbados in Depth
History
Around 700,000 years ago, the island emerged from the ocean as a body of soft rock known as a diapir rose from the mantle beneath its present-day location. This process is still ongoing, raising Barbados at an average rate of 30 centimetres per thousand years. Dozens of inland sea reefs still dominate coastal features within terraces and cliffs on the island.
Archeological evidence suggests humans may have first settled or visited the island c. 1600 BC. More permanent Amerindian settlement of Barbados dates to about the 4th to 7th centuries AD, by a group known as the Saladoid-Barrancoid. Settlements of Arawaks from South America appeared by around 800 AD and again in the 12th–13th century.
Geography
Barbados is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, east of the other West Indies Islands. Barbados is the easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean area. It is 21 miles (34 kilometres) long and up to 23 km (14 mi) wide, covering an area of 439 km2 (169 sq mi). It lies about 168 km (104 mi) east of both the countries of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 180 km (110 mi) south-east of Martinique and 400 km (250 mi) north-east of Trinidad and Tobago. It is flat in comparison to its island neighbours to the west, the Windward Islands. The island rises gently to the central highland region known as Scotland District, with the highest point being Mount Hillaby 340 m (1,120 ft) above sea level.
Economy
Barbados is the 52nd richest country in the world in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, with a well-developed mixed economy and a moderately high standard of living. According to the World Bank, Barbados is one of 83 high income economies in the world. Despite this, a 2012 self-study in conjunction with the Caribbean Development Bank revealed that 20% of Barbadians live in poverty and nearly 10% cannot meet their basic daily food needs. Barbados was ranked 77th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024, but its ranking dropped to the 84th rank in 2025.
Historically, the economy of Barbados was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but since the late 1970s and early 1980s it has diversified into the manufacturing and tourism sectors.
Demographics
The 2010 national census conducted by the Barbados Statistical Service reported a resident population of 277,821, of whom 144,803 were female and 133,018 were male.
The life expectancy for Barbados residents as of 2020 is 80 years. The average life expectancy is 83 years for females and 79 years for males (2020). Barbados and Japan have the highest per capita occurrences of centenarians in the world.
The crude birth rate is 12.23 births per 1,000 people, and the crude death rate is 8.39 deaths per 1,000 people.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Barbados (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Barbados: Key Facts
| Currency | Barbadian dollar |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Bajan Creole |
| Head of state | Sandra Mason |
| Head of government | Mia Mottley |
| Form of government | unitary state, parliamentary republic |
| Calling code | +1246 |
| Internet domain | .bb |
| Highest point | Mount Hillaby |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean |
| Established | 30 November 1966 |
Facts from Wikidata Q244 (CC0).
Visiting Barbados
Barbados is an island in the Caribbean region, but which lies out in the Atlantic many miles east of the Caribbean Sea. Its nearest neighbours 100 miles (160 km) west are Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, part of the arc of the Lesser Antilles that separate Atlantic and Caribbean. Those islands are a partly-submerged chain of mountains. By contrast Barbados has formed from deposits of coral and has a gentler landscape. It's fertile, and is sometimes called "Bimshire" or the "Little Britain" of the Caribbean because of its long and uniquely unbroken history of British colonisation and settlement. It became independent in 1966 and tourism is nowadays its main industry. In 2019 the population was 287,025.
"Bajan" is the word for the people and products of Barbados.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Barbados (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Barbados
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgetown | 191,152 | Saint Michael | National capital |
Highest Mountains in Barbados
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Hillaby | 340 m | 1,115 ft | North America |
Mount Hillaby
Mountain · 340 m
Mount Hillaby is a mountain rising to 340 metres (1,115 ft) in Barbados, in the North America region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
The peak of Mount Hillaby is the highest point on the Eastern Caribbean island of Barbados. The peak is located in the parish of Saint Andrew. It immediately overlooks the area known as the Scotland District to the north and east which comprises geologically old sediments prone to erosion.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mount Hillaby (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 340 m (1,115 ft)
- Global rank
- #622 of 641 indexed
- Region
- North America (#131)
- Subregion
- West Indies
- Country
- Barbados
- Coordinates
- 13.2101°, -59.5800°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mount Hillaby ranks #622 by elevation, below Dzyarzhynskaya (346 m) and above Vaalserberg (321 m).
- Ranges:
- Wilhelmina Gebergte (South America), Tumuc-Humac Mountains (South America)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Mount Gimie (950 m), Montagne Pelée (1,397 m), Morne Diablotins (1,447 m)
- Settlements below:
- Bridgetown (13 km), Kingstown (177 km), Castries (177 km)
More about Mount Hillaby
Mount Hillaby: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 340 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q1854502 (CC0).
Ports in Barbados
1 port recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgetown | 31.1 m | Small | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Barbados
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garrison Historic Area | 2011 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (iv) |
Largest Islands of Barbados
1 island recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Indies | 1.73M km² | Island group |
West Indies
Island group · 1.73M km²
West Indies is an island group in North America (West Indies), covering an estimated 1.73M km². It extends across Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Barbados and Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the 7th-largest of the 445 islands with a mapped extent in YearMaps.
The West Indies are an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies in three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago.
The subregion includes all the islands in the Antilles, in addition to The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are in the North Atlantic Ocean. The term is often interchangeable with "Caribbean", although the latter may also include coastal regions of Central and South American mainland nations.
Adapted from Wikipedia: West Indies (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Island group
- Mapped extent
- 1.73M km²
- Size rank
- #7 of 445 islands
- Region
- North America
- Subregion
- West Indies
- Countries
- Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Coordinates
- 12.3123°, -60.8486°
- Summits:
- Mount Hillaby (340 m)
- Ranges:
- Wilhelmina Gebergte (South America), Tumuc-Humac Mountains (South America)
- Settlements:
- Bridgetown (11 km)
More about West Indies
History
Many cultures were Indigenous to these islands, with evidence dating some of them back to the mid-6th millennium BCE. In the late 16th century, French, English and Dutch merchants and privateers began operations in the Caribbean Sea, attacking Spanish and Portuguese shipping and coastal areas. They often took refuge and refitted their ships in the areas the Spanish could not conquer, including the islands of the Lesser Antilles, the northern coast of South America, including the mouth of the Orinoco, and the Atlantic Coast of Central America.
Geology
The West Indies are a geologically complex island system consisting of 7,000 islands and islets stretching over 3,000 km (2,000 miles) from the Florida peninsula south-southeast to the northern coast of Venezuela. These islands include active volcanoes, low-lying atolls, raised limestone islands, and large fragments of continental crust containing tall mountains and insular rivers. Each of the three archipelagos has a unique origin and geologic composition.
The Greater Antilles is geologically the oldest of the three archipelagos and includes both the largest islands (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico) and the tallest mountains (Pico Duarte, Blue Mountain Peak, Pic la Selle, Pico Turquino) in the Caribbean.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: West Indies (CC BY-SA 4.0).
West Indies: Key Facts
| Area | 244,890 km² |
|---|---|
| Surrounded by | Atlantic Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q669037 (CC0).
More Maps in North America
Barbados: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Barbados?
- The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown.
- What is the population of Barbados?
- Barbados has a population of about 282,623, the #185 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Barbados?
- Barbados covers 439 km², ranking #204 by area, with about 644 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Barbados in?
- Barbados is in North America.
- What is the largest city in Barbados?
- Bridgetown is the largest city in Barbados, with a metropolitan population of about 191,152.
- What is the highest mountain in Barbados?
- The highest summit recorded for Barbados in YearMaps is Mount Hillaby at 340 m (1,115 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.