Barbados Flag of Barbados City. The easternmost island of the West Indies is the small nation of Barbados. Its coasts are fringed with coral reefs. Although the climate is ordinarily mild, the island has had several devastating hurricanes during the past two centuries. Most of Barbados is under cultivation.
Sugarcane is the chief industrial crop, but fruits and vegetables are raised for local consumption.
Flying fish are the most important catch of the Barbadian fisheries and are frozen and exported to England. The leading exports are sugar, molasses, and rum. Tourism is the major source of income, and some light industry has developed, including food processing, textiles, furniture, and local handicrafts. Barbados is one of the world's most densely populated countries. The vast majority of its people are descendants of African slaves who were freed in 1834.