美国有线新闻 CNN 巴巴多斯成立共和国解除英国女王的国家元首职务（在线收听）

What is the eastern most island in the Caribbean Sea?

加勒比海最东边的岛屿是什么？

The answer to that trivia question is the site of our first report today.

这个琐碎问题的答案对应我们今天的第一篇报道。

The island we're talking about is Barbados.

我们将要谈论的岛屿是巴巴多斯。

Until Tuesday, it's government was a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy and that monarch was Britain's Queen Elizabeth II but no more.

直到周二，该国政府都是君主立宪制下的议会民主制，而君主是英国女王伊丽莎白二世，但现在不再是了。

In removing Britain's queen as its head of state, Barbados has officially become a republic.

巴巴多斯废除了英国女王的国家元首地位后，正式成为了一个共和国。

The queen's role there was mostly a symbolic one.

女王在该国的角色主要是象征性的。

Barbados got its independence from Britain in 1966 and the island's governing power lies with its Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

巴巴多斯于1966年脱离英国独立，该岛的统治权掌握在总理米娅·莫特利手中。

It's replaced the queen's ceremonial role with that of a new president named Barbara Mason, but Barbados' prime minister will still have most of the governing power.

新总统芭芭拉·梅森取代了女王的仪式角色，但巴巴多斯总理仍将拥有大部分执政权。

This Caribbean Island was uninhabited before Britain established a settlement there in 1627.

这个加勒比海岛屿在1627年英国在那里建立定居点之前是无人居住的。

Historians say British sugar plantations worked by African slaves became a source of private wealth for Britain.

历史学家说，由非洲奴隶经营的英国甘蔗种植园成为英国私人财富的来源。

Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834 and in more recent decades, after it achieved independence from Britain, tourism and manufacturing became more economically important to Barbados than sugar production.

巴巴多斯在1834年废除了奴隶制，近几十年来，巴巴多斯脱离英国获得独立后，该国旅游业和制造业在经济上比蔗糖生产更重要。

As the island prepared to become a republic, Barbados' leaders said the time had come for it to fully leave it's colonial past behind by removing the queen's symbolic status.

随着巴巴多斯准备成为共和国，巴巴多斯的领导人表示，现在是时候取消女王的象征地位，彻底告别殖民历史了。

But Barbadian critics say the public should have had more of voice in the process, possibly through a vote instead of having it handled completely by the Barbadian government.

但是巴巴迪亚的批评人士说，公众应该在这个过程中有更多的发言权，可能是通过投票，而不是完全由巴巴迪亚政府来处理。

For its part, the British monarchy had said the decision was up to Barbados and that the issue had been discussed for a while.

而英国王室则表示，决定权在巴巴多斯，这个问题已经讨论了一段时间。

It was a friendly parting. Prince Charles, Heir to the British throne, traveled to Barbados to attend the transition.

这是一次友好的分离。英国王位继承人查尔斯王子前往巴巴多斯参加交接。