Barbados is densely populated. More than one-third of the population is concentrated in Bridgetown and the surrounding area. Most of the farmland is owned by large landowners or corporations. As a result, “tenantries”—clusters of wooden houses locally known as chattel houses and located on the borders of the large estates—are as common as villages. They are usually owned by the occupants but stand on rented ground from which they may easily be moved for relocation to another site. Most of them have electricity and running water. In Bridgetown’s commercial and administrative centre, multistory buildings are altering the features of the 19th-century town. Apart from Bridgetown, the largest towns or settlements are Speightstown, Oistins, and Holetown.
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Palm-trees-by-the-ocean-BarbadosPalm trees by the ocean, Barbados.[Credits : © Digital Vision/Getty Images]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Souvenir-market-stall-BarbadosSouvenir market stall, Barbados.[Credits : © Sylvain Grandadam—Robert Harding World Imagery/Getty Images]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
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