Barbados Island
"A Little Bit About My Little Bitty Island In The Sun"

Geographical Information About The Barbados Island

When looking for the island of Barbados on the world map it is often missed by those who don't know that it isn't located along the main chain of Caribbean islands.

This is because the island Barbados is slightly to the east of this chain of islands.

Grab the world map and take a look at the Caribbean again. I have provided you with one below if you don't have one.

This time follow the chain of Caribbean islands south until you reach St.Lucia.

Now take a look slightly to the east (yes that is to the right) and you will see my little bitty island of Barbados!

Did you find it???

Barbados Island Caribbean Islands Map

What is the exact longitude and latitude of the island of Barbados?

This position we have to the east of the Caribbean island chain gives a longitude of 13.2 degrees North of the equator and a latitude of 59.4 degress East.

This places my Caribbean island in a perfect position to get sunny weather all year round. This has made it a wonderful tropical destination and a 2nd home to visitors around the world.

Is Barbados a part of The Antilles?

OK now that you know where the Barbados island is..Did you know that Barbados is a member of the group of islands known as the Antilles?

Now you are probably wondering what the heck the Antilles even are!

Don't worry I will tell you.

The Antilles is a group of islands located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. This group of islands is divided into The Greater Antilles and The Lesser Antilles.

The Greater Antilles are made up of the larger islands of the northern region of the Caribbean island chain. These islands include Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico.

The Lesser Antilles are made up of the smaller islands to the south of the Caribbean island chain. These islands are divided into two groups, The Leeward Islands and The Windward Islands.

The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles while The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles.

The island of Barbados is a member of the Windward Islands. These islands are the Caribbean islands from Martinique down south to Grenada, and are named after the prevailing trade winds that blow from the east to the west off the Atlantic Ocean.

The Island Of Barbados In The Lesser Antilles

The Island Of Barbados In The Lesser Antilles

Which Caribbean islands are the closest to the island of Barbados?

The nearest island to Barbados is St.Vincent. This island and its neighbouring islands, The Grenadines, are located approximately 160 kilometres to directly west of Barbados.

The island of St.Lucia is just a tad further north west of Barbados.

Grenada is the nearest island to the south west of Barbados while Trinidad and Tobago are the closest islands located to the south of Barbados.

How big is the Barbados island and how many people live on this tiny Caribbean island?

The island is only 430 sq km or 166 sq miles in size. You could drive around the island in under 3 hours!

As of mid 2008, the Population Reference Bureau estimates there to be approximately 300, 000 people living on this island. Thats quite a few for our 430 sq km size.

This has placed Barbados as the 16th most dense country in the world with approximately 650 person per km.

Don't worry though, we have enough room for you and your family to visit : ).

How many cities are there in the island of Barbados?

The Barbados island is divided into parishes as opposed to cities. There are 11 of these parishes called:

• St. Lucy (No.7)

Island of Barbados Parishes

• St. Peter (No. 9)

• St. Andrew (No. 2)

• St. James (No. 4)

• St. Thomas (No. 11)

• St. Joseph (No. 6)

• St. Michael (No. 8)

• St. George (No. 3)

• St. John (No. 5)

• St. Philip (No. 10)

• Christ Church (No. 1)

Most of the hotels are located along the south and west coasts of the island in the Barbados parishes of Christ Church, St.Michael and St. James.

What is the shape of the Barbados island?

If you look at Barbados on the world map you will see that this Caribbean island is some what shaped like a pear with the stem end pointing towards the north.

What is the island of Barbados made of?

The island is mostly made of limestone coral and is not volanic like many of The Leeward Islands to the north.

Barbados Island Caves

This charateristic of the island is the reason for many of our beautiful coral reefs, as well as many of our underground cave formations.

This allows you to enjoy scuba diving as well as do some cave exploring during your Barbados vacation.

The most popular cave on the island explored by tourists is Harrison's Cave. This is a 2.3 km long, limestone cave in the central region of the island, in the parish of St. Thomas.

You can take tours through this cave aboard an electric tram for $20 USD per person.

Is the Barbados island hilly and mountainous?

Barbados Island Landscape

The coastline of Barbados is generally flat with its highest points being towards the island's centre.

Mount Hillaby is the highest point in Barbados with a height of 340 metres or 1110 feet above sea level, located in the parish of St.Andrew. If you would like, you can visit Mount Hillaby during you trip.

From this hill top you will have an amazing aerial view of the island's landscape and coasts.

There are also many sedimentary rock formations in these central regions.

Want to see photos of the Barbados island landscape?

What types of crops are grown on the island of Barbados?

The 3 main crops grown in Barbados are sugar cane, vegetables and cotton.
The Island Barbados Sugar Cane

Over 37% of the land in Barbados is arable land with sugarcane continuing to be the dominate crop.

This is because sugar cane is the island's leading crop and the second largest industry in Barbados, with millions of dollars being exported each year.

Therefore while driving around in your rental car you will notice that there are many sugar cane fields and plantation houses spread throughout the island.

You will also see some vegetables being grown on arable land. These include sweet potatoes, eddoes and yams. These are usually sold by local vendors in vegetable stands along the sides of the streets and not grown for export.

Cotton fields are also scattered throughout the island but are scarce in comparison.

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: