Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and an independent British Commonwealth nation. Bridgetown, the capital, is a cruise-ship port with colonial buildings and Nidhe Israel, a synagogue founded in 1654. Around the island are beaches, botanical gardens, the Harrison’s Cave formation, and 17th-century plantation houses like St. Nicholas Abbey. Local traditions include afternoon tea and cricket, the national sport.

Inhabited by Kalinago people since the 13th century, and prior to that by other Amerindians, Barbados was visited by Spanish navigators in the late 15th century and claimed for the Spanish Crown. It first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511. The Portuguese visited the island in 1536, but they left it unclaimed, with their only remnants being an introduction of wild hogs for a good supply of meat whenever the island was visited. An English ship, the Olive Blossom, arrived in Barbados in 1625; its men took possession of it in the name of King James I. In 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England, and it became an English and later British colony.

The dollar has been the currency of Barbados since 1935. It is divided into 100 cents. In 1882, the Colonial Bank introduced notes for 5 dollars, since then a series of notes have been introduced in Barbados. The note depicted alongside is a 50 Dollar note issued in 2007.

The obverse has Errol Barrow - first Prime Minister of Barbados to right; Broken trident as a see-through feature; Coat of arms; Flying fish; Trident in the background; Blue foil pelican over the Pride of Barbados. The reverse has Trafalgar Square (National Heroes Square) in Bridgetown; Parliament buildings and the Careenage, Eastern Carlisle Bay, Bridgetown.

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