Barbuda is an island along with its close relative Antigua, that has been populated since 2400 BC and still thrives to this day. Columbus was the first to officially discover the island while on voyage and set the claim for the island. It was some time later that the Spanish and the French would lay claim as well.

The island was setup to produce sugar cane and the natives were made to slaves to work the plantations. The English began to transport Irish Catholic slaves to the island as well to work the plantations. Slavery on the island was abolished in 1834 and the sugar plantations went into private hands. The island became an independent nation of Britain in 1981 and remains under its own government to this day.

Water Sports
The area is dominated by tourism for income and water sports are highly important all the way around. Surfing, boating and swimming are all very important. Because of the high ship traffic from the Spanish the diving is wonderful as well. Barbuda has actually produced some wonderful treasures over the years in the form of gold and historically significant finds. One of the ships that was located was thought to be carrying royalty and much of the ship was plundered by pirates before it sank.

Island Diversity
The use of the island has made it a very diverse crowd to say the least. The British maintain a huge presence on the island as the Queen is still the official ruler of the land. The Irish have stayed around as well since the time of slavery. The natives are present in large numbers and run many of the agriculture sites on the island.

Activities
Most of the activities outside of water sports are based on the historical tours and native villages. All of this can be toured and some of the finest craftsmanship can be found on the island as well. The streets of the village are lined with vendors who sell just about everything in the way of native arts and crafts, all created with the traditional methods.