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The country of Barbados is divided into sub-regions known as parishes.
Terminology
They are legally styled as the "Parish of (parish name)" as opposed to the American naming convention with "Parish" coming after the name. The use of the term "parish" derives from the island's religious Anglican history under the Church of England.
History
The system of parish churches was originally based on the system of the Church of England and was the visible expression forming the basis of the parliamentary representation in Barbados. The differing size and shape of each parish were primarily influenced by the large plantation estates of cotton, sugar cane and tobacco that existed during the colonial years of Barbados. As various chapels of ease were created during the 17th century across the island, some local churches were elevated to parish church status, leading to the formation of new parishes surrounding those freshly created vestries.
By 1629, the English settlers after landing at James Town formed six original parishes on the island which were:
- The Parish of Christ Church,
- The Parish of St. James,
- The Parish of St. Lucy,
- The Parish of St. Michael,
- The Parish of St. Peter, and
- The Parish of St. Thomas
By 1645, the land holding of Barbados increased and the shape of the original six was reconfigured giving way to an additional five parishes. The parishes each held their own local government councils until these were abolished in 1959, following a brief administrative districting experiment within Barbados until 1967.
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| 54,336
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| center|thumb|200px|Lead church of the parish
|-
!scope="row"| St. Andrew
| The Parish of Saint Andrew
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| 5,139
|
| center|thumb|200px|Lead church of the parish
|-
!scope="row"| St. George
| The Parish of Saint George
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| 19,767
|
|
|-
!scope="row"| St. James
| The Parish of Saint James