Barbados Guide » More About Barbados: Interesting Facts
Interesting Facts
- The Barbados cherry has the highest vitamin C content of any fruit in the world – just one cherry has a full day's requirement.
- The tropical climate on Barbados is delightful year round. Temperatures rarely dip below 75 or rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The island of Barbados is 21 miles long and 14 miles wide. The east coast is rugged with tall cliffs facing the wild surf of the Atlantic Ocean. The west coast is gentler, with soft sand beaches fronting the calm Caribbean Sea.
- The Harry Bayley Observatory, built in 1963, is the only observatory in the Eastern Caribbean.
- Visit Welchman Hall Gully and you'll see breadfruit trees that were purportedly grown from seedlings delivered by The Bounty's infamous Captain Bligh.
- St. Nicholas Abbey in St. Peter's Parish is one of only three remaining Jacobean homes in the Western Hemisphere.
- Barbados is nicknamed "Land of the Flying Fish." These unique creatures use their pectoral and dorsal fins to leap from the water for as long as 13 seconds. Their strong tails propel them at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.
- Sailors manning slave vessels introduced the Barbados green monkey to the island. The men captured the monkeys in Africa and kept them as pets. Once on Barbados, the monkeys escaped or were set free. The climate apparently agreed with them because today it's estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 monkeys inhabit the island.
- Rum is a historical and cultural component of Bajan life. The residents of Barbados consume an estimated 250,000 cases per year of the locally produced liquor. There are 1600 rum shops on the island – that averages out to 10 shops per square mile.
- Postal service on Barbados began in the 1600s. The Barbados Post Office officially opened in 1852, and mounted police officers served as the first postmen. Mail delivery on Barbados preceded delivery service in Britain by 45 years!
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