Native language is English but the Bajan dialect often seems like a language all of its own. Our local dialect is referred to as "Bajan" just as our people are. It is a mixture of broken English with an accent inspired by various African languages brought over by the slaves.

Mostly Christians with around 70% of the population Anglican and Protestant. The remainders belong to a number of Moravian Methodist Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.

When examining Barbados culture, there are two very distinct influences, one is English, since we were an English colony from 1627 when the first settlers arrived, right up until 1966 when we gained our independence, and the other cultural influence is African from the days of the slave trade. Since Barbados is the first island west of Africa, we were a vital stop in the slave trade and many West African slaves stayed here to provide a labour force for the sugar cane fields. Unlike most of our neighbouring islands, Barbados remained under British rule from the day of settlement right up until our independence on November 30th, 1966. There's actually an old legend that says that the Spanish had once set out to conquer Barbados. Upon approaching the island, the mission captain looked through a telescope, which in those days was not very good and saw what he thought were hundreds of thousands of English soldiers standing at attention with long spears. Once he saw this, he realized that defeat was imminent and decided to abandon the mission and return home. What that captain actually saw was what we know as cane arrows. Right before the crop is ready the stalks bear a type of light flower that is the shape of an upward pointing arrow, or spear as the case may be. Thus, our crop saved us from a potentially defining war. The African influence goes hand in hand with the influence sugar has had on our island. Without one, there would not have been the other. Once a year we have our major festival called Cropover, which signifies the end of the sugar cane crop. During Cropover there is abundant celebration featuring calypso music, dancing, colourful costumes and food, all of which have very strong ties back to the original African Slaves. It was actually the slaves who invented this custom by celebrating the end of the especially hard labour, provided by the reaping of the crop. African and English customs and culture are different from each other. Therefore, it makes for a truly unique blend for Barbados to have such strong influences from those two regions, and so few influences from anywhere else. It's very difficult to rightly explain how the two blend so seamlessly to create this paradise, you just have to experience it for yourself to begin to understand.

Lying just 13° north of the equator, Barbados enjoys a hot tropical climate with two distinct seasons – wet and dry. The wet season begins in May/June and runs though until November/December. Little rain falls during the rest of the year, especially in the driest period between February and April, though as a tropical island the odd storm can never be ruled out. Temperatures generally vary very little with average highs sitting just below 30°C and average lows in the mid to low 20s. Dry Season: December – June Wet Season: July – November

The climate in Barbados tends to be nice year-round: in January, the average daily high temperature is 28°C (83°F), while the low average is 21°C (70°F). In July, the average daily high is 30°C (86°F), while the average low is 23°C (74°F). February to May are the driest months (April averages only seven days of rain), while July is the wettest month with some 18 days of rain. The tourist high season runs from mid-December through mid-April. June through October is the hurricane season: September and October are the most humid months and have the highest hurricane risk – although many years see none. Like the rest of the region, the temperate season is also high season, so expect prices to peak December to April. Other times Barbados is wetter and hotter but also much cheaper.

Bring clothes for the tropics. Light cotton dresses for women and light jackets for formal wear. Casual slacks and lightweight sports for the times when you are not in a bathing suit. Beachwear should also include sunglasses,sunblock and beach footwear. While Barbados is a fun holiday island, there are dress codes, and because of 300 years of conservative British heritage, formal attire is still seen at times other than weddings and funerals. Business men wear a shirt and tie and sometimes a jacket. Women wear smart dresses. It's a good idea to wear pants and shirt when visiting the bank; it looks more respectful and gives you a pocket for your wallet. Bathing suits are best for the beach, beach bars and the pool.

Getting There: Sea Cruise ship About 450, 000 cruise-ship passengers arrive in Barbados each year as part of eastern Caribbean itineraries. Ships dock at Bridgetown Harbor, about 1km west of the city center. The port has the usual duty-free shops and a branch office of the Barbados Tourism Authority (426-1718; when ships are in port). Entering the destination Entering Barbados Nearly all visitors will enter the country through Grantley Adams International Airport or Bridgetown’s cruise-ship terminal. All foreigners entering Barbados should be in possession of a valid passport and a return or onward ticket. Cruise-ship passengers who stay less than 24 hours are not required to carry a valid passport. Air Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI; 418-4242; www.gaiainc.bb) is on the island’s southeast corner, about 16km from Bridgetown. It is the largest airport in the Eastern Caribbean and the major point of entry for the region. The Barbados Tourism Authority (428-5570; 8am-10pm or until the last flight arrives) booth can help you book a room and is a good place to pick up tourist brochures. There are a number of ATMs in the departures area of the airport (we’d put them near arrivals ourselves…) as well as the Barbados National Bank (8am-3pm Mon-Fri) which exchanges money. Once through security, departing passengers will find numerous shops, including a good bookstore and a food court. Getting around: Car & Motorcycle Bus & Tram

Barbados Tourist Attractions vary offering you as a visitor plenty of places to go and some wonderful sights to see while visiting Barbados. For a detailed listing on each tourist attraction please see our Tourist Attractions Guide at the bottom of this page. For a natural tourist attraction you might like to visit one of the limestone caves, either at Harrison Caves or you could go to the Animal Flower Cave, where animal flowers grow. These caves have rivers, waterfalls and some interesting rock formations. If you are interested in nature then you will enjoy visiting gone of the many botanical gardens in Barbados. There is Andromeda Botanical Gardens, the Flower Forest or Orchid World to name but a few. Each of these gardens are awash with tropical flowers, rare trees and surrounded by stunning views of the crashing ocean and lush countryside. Don't forget to take your camera! If you are interested in history, then you will find no better place than Barbados for a step back in time. A good place to start would be the Barbados Museum, which takes you the ages of Barbados' rich history dating back hundreds of years of habitation. There are many churches in each parish and due to Barbados' strong ties to the UK, many of these churches are Anglican and date back to the 1600's, when English settlers first arrived in Barbados. Barbados also has one of the oldest parliaments in the common wealth so the government buildings are also worth a look around. You could also visit a plantation house to give you an insight into the slave trade and the sugar trade, which is still a large part of Barbadian life today. At the end of 2nd Street in Holetown is Lexy Piano Bar where there is a live party going on most nights of the week, but their liveliest nights are on the weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Another tourist attraction is to visit a rum distillery for the complete history of this popular Caribbean drink and see how it is refined from sugar cane. You may also like to visit George Washington House, which has been renovated to its former glory and is the only residence outside of the USA where George Washington resided. Perhaps you never had the chance to fly on the Concorde before it retired; well you can now step aboard the famous aircraft and enjoy a simulated flight at the Barbados Concorde Experience located at Grantlley Adams International Airport. One of the greatest tourist attractions Barbados has to offer is the beach; on the west coast you will find miles of golden sandy beaches and calm warm waters for swimming in the Caribbean Sea. On the southeast, east and north coast’s you will find white sandy beaches and the rougher water of the Atlantic Ocean, which is ideal if you are a water sports enthusiast. Conditions on the south east coast are ideal for wind surfing, surfing and kite boarding. Barbados is also excellent for diving, with many brilliant dive sites over sunken boats and natural coral reefs. Maybe you prefer to above the water and would therefore enjoy a day out sailing on a catamaran and swimming with the turtles or perhaps you are an avid fisherman who would enjoy a day out deep sea diving. There really is plenty to see and do in Barbados and the best way to see it is to take an island tour, this can either be self driven if you hire a car, or you could take an off road tour with one of the island safari operators who take you 'off road' in their 4x4 vehicles to see parts of Barbados only accessible with such a vehicle. Another wonderful way to see the rustic side of Barbados is on horseback, there are lots of good riding schools who orgainse sunset rides along the beach or perhaps you would enjoy an afternoon hacking through sugar cane fields. For the adventurous there is also a facility for quad biking and an Arial slide side whizzing you across gullies. Barbados is a very relaxing place if you want it to be or your holiday can be action packed; whatever you fancy doing with many tourist attractions throughout Barbados

Plastic will save you the most hassles. ATMs are abundant and accessible if you need cash, but so are the places that take major credit cards. Two or more cards are handy and a few travelers’ cheques as a backup are also not a bad idea.