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[[image - black & white photo two people walking on beach]]
[[caption]] Bathsheba Barbados Rugged East Coast. [[/caption]]

[[image - black & white photo of harbor policeman standing guard]]
[[caption]] Harbour Policeman on duty in and outside the Carreenage. [[/caption]]

The most easterly of the Caribbean islands, Barbados was originally the home of the Arawak Indians, although it was more than likely uninhabited when the first British settlers arrived in 1627. The land patents once granted to members of the English nobility were returned to the Crown in 1652. Though slavery was abolished in 1834, the last of the slaves were not liberated until four years later.

The constitution of Barbados, among the oldest in the Commonwealth, is based largely on convention. Universal adult suffrage was introduced in 1951; elected ministers in 1954; a cabinet system in 1958, and full internal autonomy in 1961. The bicameral legislature is headed by a Crown-appointed governor, who in turn appoints a premier empowered to name a five-member cabinet.

About 75% of the inhabitants of Barbados are Negroes, with an additional 17% being of mixed origin. Only 5% is European.

[[image - black & white photo of horse race]]

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