Background: The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Its economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

NOTE: The information regarding Barbados on this page is re-published from the 2001 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Barbados Introduction 2001 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Barbados Introduction 2001 should be addressed to the CIA.