Barbados
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Flag of Barbados
Three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and
blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band;
the trident head represents independence and a break with the past
(the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident).
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The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627.
Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until
1834 when slavery was abolished. The 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 complete independence
from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and
manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
- CIA World Factbook.
Government of Barbados - National Flag
The symbol in the centre panel is the Trident of the Mythical sea god Neptune.
barbados.gov.bb/natflag.htm
The Flag of Barbados
The two lateral prongs, sharpened on one side only,
symbolize the ascending and descending
paths between the celestial and terrestrial worlds.
users.skynet.be/lotus/flag/barbados-en.htm
Barbados - Fotw
National Flag, Coat of Arms, and other Flags.
www.fotw.us/flags/bb.html
Barbados - wikipedia.org
Barbados has one of the highest standards of living
and literacy rates in the developing world.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados
Barbados - U.S. Department of State
People
About 90% of Barbados' population is of African descent, 4% European descent, and 6% Asian or mixed. About 40% of Barbadians are Anglican, and the rest mostly Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Moravian. There also are small Jewish and Muslim communities. Barbados' population growth rate has been very low, less than 1% since the 1960s, largely due to family planning efforts and a high emigration rate.
Economy
Since independence, Barbados has transformed itself from a low-income economy dependent upon sugar production into an upper-middle-income economy based on tourism. Barbados is now one of the most prosperous countries in the western hemisphere outside of the U.S. and Canada. The economy went into a deep recession in 1990 after 3 years of steady decline brought on by fundamental macroeconomic imbalances. After a painful readjustment process, the economy began to grow again in 1993. Growth rates averaged between 3%-5% since then until 2001, when the economy contracted 2.8% in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the global drop-off in tourism. Growth picked up again in 2003, and the economy grew by 3.4% in 2004, and by 4.1% in 2005.
Tourism drives the economy in Barbados, but offshore banking and financial services have become an increasingly important source of foreign exchange and economic growth. The sugar industry, once dominant, now makes up approximately 1% of GDP and employs only around 500 people. The labor force totaled 145,800 persons at the end of 2005. The average rate of unemployment for the first quarter of 2006 was estimated at 8.1%.
Barbados will host several games and the final of the Cricket World Cup in 2007, and much of the country's investment is directed toward accommodating the expected influx of visitors. The government and private sector are both working to prepare the country for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)--a European Union-style single market.
www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26507.htm
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Flag of Barbados