Forgotten World (196): Barbados
It’s time once again for one of my regular weeks of postings in my long-running series called Forgotten World – a look at parts of the world that hardly feature in our media or thoughts. You can check the previous 195 entries here.
Barbados is one of the more populous and prosperous Caribbean islands and political, economic and social stability have given it one of the highest standards of living in the developing world. It is a centre for financial services and has offshore reserves of oil and natural gas. Tourism has overtaken the export of sugar as the main revenue earner.
In recent years, a construction boom has taken hold, with new hotels and housing complexes springing up. The trend accelerated as the island prepared to host some of the key Cricket World Cup matches in 2007. However, a shortage of jobs has prompted many of the less than 300,000 Barbadians – more often known as Bajans – to find work abroad. The money that they send home is an important source of income.