Global InformationBridgetown information
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City of Bridgetown
Bridgetown | |
|---|---|
Capital city | |
     Top: View of Bridgetown from Carlisle Bay; Middle: Downtown Bridgetown, Parliament Buildings; National Heroes Square, Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Bridgetown (red star) | |
  City of Bridgetown Location on a map of Barbados parishes | |
| Coordinates: 13°05′51″N 59°37′00″W / 13.09750°N 59.61667°W | |
| Country | Barbados |
| Parish | Saint Michael |
| Established | 1628 |
| City status | 1824 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15 sq mi (40 km2) |
| Elevation [1] | 3 ft (1 m) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 110,000 |
| • Density | 7,300/sq mi (2,800/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| Area code | +1 246 |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, vi |
| Designated | 2011 |
| Reference no. | 1376 |
| Region | Americas |
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI)[2] is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The City", but the most common reference is simply "Town". As of 2014, its metropolitan population stands at roughly 110,000.
The Bridgetown port, found along Carlisle Bay (at 13°06′22″N 59°37′55″W / 13.106°N 59.632°W) lies on the southwestern coast of the island. Parts of the Greater Bridgetown area (as roughly defined by the Ring Road Bypass or more commonly known as the ABC Highway),[3] sit close to the borders of the neighbouring parishes Christ Church and St. James. The Grantley Adams International Airport for Barbados, is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Bridgetown city centre, and has daily flights to major cities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and the Caribbean. There is no longer a local municipal government, but it is a constituency of the national Parliament. During the short-lived 1950s-1960s Federation of the British West Indian Territories, Bridgetown was one of three capital cities[4] within the region being considered to be the Federal capital of the region.[5][6]
The present-day location of the city was established by English settlers in 1628; a previous settlement under the authority of Sir William Courten was at St. James Town. Bridgetown is a major West Indies tourist destination, and the city acts as an important financial, informatics, convention centre, and cruise ship port of call in the Caribbean region. On 25 June 2011, "Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison" was added as a World Heritage Site of UNESCO.[7][8][9]
- ^ "Population of Bridgetown, Barbados". Population.mongabay.com. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ Barbados codes, United Nations – Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UN/LOCODE) via UNECE
- ^ "Restore priority of B'town Redevelopment Plan". The Barbados Advocate. 21 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ Nantambu, Dr. Kwame (12 December 2005). "W.I. Federation: Failure From the Start". Trinicenter.com. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Kasperson, Roger E.; Minghi, Julian V. (2011). "Decision Making". The Structure of Political Geography. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. pp. 350–365. ISBN 978-1-4128-1854-4. LCCN 2011003509.
- ^ Lewis, Gordon K. (2004). The Growth of the Modern West Indies. pp. 350–365. ISBN 976-637-171-7.
- ^ "Barbados enters World Heritage List with Bridgetown and its Garrison; Hiraizumi (Japan) and Germany's Beech Forests also inscribed". UNESCOPRESS. UNESCO. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed three new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List so far today: the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany as an extension to the World Heritage site of Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (Slovakia, Ukraine), Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, the first heritage site of Barbados to enter the World Heritage List; and Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites
- ^ Ramsay, Allison (26 June 2011). "Barbados makes the list!". The Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison site was considered for nomination after Barbados became signatory to the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention in 2002. Barbados submitted the nomination dossier to UNESCO World Heritage Centre on February 1, 2009, and that was among 45 proposals which were examined by the World Heritage Committee in June 2010. A total of 35 nominations including natural, cultural and mixed properties are being reviewed by the Committee. The session will end on 29 June.
- ^ "Historic Bridgetown now a World Heritage Site". Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 26 June 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Paris, said Bridgetown and its garrison deserved a place on the List, which is comprised of more than 900 cultural or natural sites around the world regarded as having outstanding universal value..