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Although it was probably originally inhabited by Arawaks, it was uninhabited when the English expeditionaries first settled there in 1627 (1605, according to local tradition). Barbados remained a British colony until independence was granted in 1966. During the 19th cent. it was the administrative headquarters of the Windward Islands, but in 1885 it became a separate colony. It was a member of the short-lived Federation of the West Indies (1958–62). The island became an independent associated state of the Commonwealth in 1966, with a parliamentary form of government. The Democratic Labor party held power from 1986 until 1994, when the Barbados Labor party won a legislative majority; Owen Arthur became prime minister. Barbados is a member of the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community, and the United Nations.
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