Destination Guides & Maps - Barbados

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Capital City: Bridgetown

Population: 275,330; mostly of African descent, with just 4% of European descent. Despite the fact that the two groups have lived together on the island for some 350 years, just 3% of Bajans are reckoned to be of mixed race

Area: 165 square miles, a roughly teardrop-shaped 21 miles by 14 miles.

Currency: The Barbados Dollar (Bds$), which is fixed to the US Dollar at a rate of Bds$1.98 = US$1, and consequently, very roughly, £1 = Bds$3. Most bills are presented in Barbados Dollars, but the US Dollar is widely circulated and is acceptable currency

Language: English, though the Bajans have their own lyrical and delightful-sounding accent, which has distinct echoes of the English West Country. Many people from the Bristol area were 'Barbadosed' in the late 1600s when the island was crying out for settlers

Visa: No visas are required for British citizens, though you may be required to show a return or onward ticket

Geography: Barbados is a coral-based island sitting 100 miles to the east of the main chain of the Windward Islands (to which it is geologically unconnected) in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is relatively flat with some gentle hills, and much of the interior is covered in sugar cane fields.

The west and south coasts are mostly golden sand beach, but elsewhere the coastline is made of coral rock cliffs, into which are cut some classic coves mounded with sand.

The population is mostly concentrated along the south and west coasts and inland behind here.

Religion: Barbados is a pretty devout place, and most of the population go to church. There are countless denominations in Barbados, so rest assured that if you are a church-goer, there will be a church of your denomination. You will be very welcome if you attend

Time: Atlantic Standard Time, 4 hours behind GMT, five hours behind the UK in summer

Electricity: 115/230 volts, almost everywhere

Emergencies: Police 112, Fire 113, Ambulance 115

Telephone: The IDD code for Barbados is 001 246, which is followed by a seven-digit number. There are no prefixes when you are ringing on the island. Just dial the seven figures

Post: It can take anything between a week and three months to send things back to the UK, so don't rely on it for anything more than a postcard

Business Hours: Shops keep hours of 8.30 am or 9 am until 4.30 pm or 5 pm from Monday to Friday, Saturdays from 9am till 2pm, closed on Sundays. Banks open 8am - 3pm on Monday to Thursday, Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 7am to 2pm

Tipping: Because of the large number of American visitors to Barbados, tipping is now the norm in bars. Service is added to your bill in restaurants, generally at 10% and sometimes more. You might also come across a 15% VAT, which was brought in a few years ago. Now it is generally invisible in the price of dishes

BBC World Service: Frequencies vary at different times of day. Try 5975 KHz, 6195 KHz, 11675 KHz, 11810 KHz, 11835 KHz, 12095 KHz, 15220 KHz, 15390 KHz, or 17840 KHz. Alternatively, CNN News channel is available on almost every hotel television

Want to get a closer look at Barbados? http://earth.google.com/

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