Physiography of Barbados

Barbados is, in many ways, a Caribbean anomaly. The island is not technically a Caribbean island at all - it lies outside the main Lesser Antilles chain, about 300 km northeast of Trinidad and 150 km east of the Lesser Antilles, alone in the Atlantic Ocean. Barbados is about 34 km north to south, and 22 km at its widest point. This teardrop shaped island comprises 430 square km of coral limestone capped hills and valleys. 

Climate 
Barbados lies in the belt of northeast trade winds and generally has a subhumid to humid tropical climate. The mean annual temperature is 24-28 degrees C and seasonal variations are small. Most rain, 1750-2120 mm/yr falls over the central and higher parts of the island, which act as regional recharge areas whereas the least rain, 1100-1250 mm/yr, falls along the topographically low north and south coastal areas, which act as regional discharge areas. Generally topographically low coastal areas have low rainfall and high evapo-transpiration, whereas the topographically higher areas have greater rainfall and less evapo-transpiration. Most precipitation falls between September and December. 

Oceanography 
Seawater temperatures off the west coast range from 29.5 degrees C in the autumn to 26.0 degrees C in February. The island is situated in the North Equatorial Current. Salinity is variable and ranges from 32 to 36 ppt; low salinity water masses drifting northward around Barbados are believed to come from the Amazon and Orinoco River systems. 
 

 
 
Barbados is a low-lying island
 
Surf pounding the Atlantic coast
 
Fossil reefs