Pink flowers splash a fan-shaped tree.
On the beach below, turquoise ripples of the Caribbean rush toward and retreat from golden sand. This is Barbados. The island, shaped like the print of a giant's right foot, is the furthest east of the West Indies, which arc from South America to North America. A British crown colony from 1627 to 1966, when it gained independence, the island's parliamentary form of government and its justice system are United Kingdom imports. In the capital city of Bridgetown, a monument honoring Lord Nelson stands in Trafalgar Square, as does a similar one in London.