Barbados ditched Britain's Queen Elizabeth as head of state, forging a new republic on Tuesday with its first-ever president and severing its last remaining colonial bonds nearly 400 years after the first English ships arrived at the Caribbean island. The decision means the number of Commonwealth realms—sovereign states with the British monarch as its head—has decreased to 15.

The island nation located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean has a population of 97000 and depends primarily on the tourism sector.

The nation ‘down-under is the sixth-largest country in the world in terms of size and has a population of over 2.5 crore.

The tourist haven consists of over 700 islands and has a population of less than four lakh.

The Caribbean country located on the north-eastern coast of Central America was once the cradle of Mayan civilization. 

The second-largest country in the world extends from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast.

The island nation in the West Indies has just over one lakh inhabitants.

Another West-Indian island nation on the list is the tourist haven famed for its beaches. 

Located close to Australia, New Zealand is a collection of territories united under its monarch.

The country is located in Oceania and comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia.

(With inputs from agencies)