Total area: 167 sq mi (431 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 284,589
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bridgetown - 98,900
Currency: Barbados dollar
Language: English
Religions: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Time Zone: GMT-4, no DST
Electricity: AC 110V/50Hz, "american" plugs are used
Barbados is situated east of the Caribbean Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. The island is considered a part of the Lesser Antilles with its closest neighbors Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines to the west.
The country is one of the most developed islands in the region with a very high literacy rate, and the tourism-driven economy that make Barbados one of the most prosperous countries in the western hemisphere outside of the United States and Canada.
