Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles with the population of 284,000 people,with around 80,000 living in or around Bridgetown, the largest city and the country's capital.

Barbados was initially visited by the Spanish around the late 1400s to early 1500s and first appears on a Spanish map from 1511. The first English ship, the Olive Blossom, arrived in Barbados in 1624. They took possession of it in the name of King James I. In 1627 the first permanent settlers arrived from England and it became an English and later British colony.  In 1966, Barbados became an independent state and Commonwealth realm, retaining Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. The official language is English. 

Many thanks to Suzi and Harry for this fantastic postcard with historic images of Bridgetown. Most of these images from the 1800s. Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison were added as a World Heritage Site of UNESCO in 2011.