Book Description

Until a century ago this coral island, strategically located 100 miles east of the other Lesser Antilles and blessed with fertile limestone soils, held commercial leadership in the Eastern Caribbean. Its growing population, now 235,000 or 1, 400 per square mile, puts it among the most densely settled political units in the world. Today, as for three centuries, sugar provides the bulk of its exports and sugar cane still occupies most of its arable land. However, tourism, merchandizing profits, remittances from overseas, and the beginning of an industrial economy, now supplement sugar as sources of income. Barbados is a medium-sized frog in a small pond. Its exports surpass those of all the British Windwards and Leewards put together although it has only half the population of those islands. Barbadians earn more and live better than neighboring islanders; they are bettereducated, more hard-working, and more thrifty. Their island is well cultivated, an almost English landscape plus palms. (Author).