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Background:
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The Siboney were the first to inhabit the
islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but
Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands
when Columbus landed on his second voyage in
1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and
French were succeeded by the English who formed
a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run
the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished
in 1834. The islands became an independent state
within the British Commonwealth of Nations in
1981. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and
the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of
Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 03 N, 61 48 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km;
Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0
km |
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Coastline:
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153 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge
of the continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature
variation |
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Terrain:
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mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,
with some higher volcanic areas |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
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Natural resources:
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NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism |
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Land use:
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arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other: 77.27% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes and tropical storms (July to
October); periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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water management - a major concern because of
limited natural fresh water resources - is
further hampered by the clearing of trees to
increase crop production, causing rainfall to
run off quickly |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with
many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a
very large western harbor |
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Population:
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69,108 (July 2006 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 27.6% (male 9,716/female
9,375)
15-64 years: 68.5% (male 23,801/female
23,524)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male
1,020/female 1,672) (2006 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 30 years
male: 29.5 years
female: 30.5 years (2006 est.)
|
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Population growth rate:
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0.55% (2006 est.)
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Birth rate:
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16.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 18.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.71 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.82 deaths/1,000 live births
(2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 72.16 years
male: 69.78 years
female: 74.66 years (2006 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
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Ethnic groups:
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black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
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Religions:
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Christian (predominantly Anglican with other
Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)
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Languages:
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English (official), local dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has completed
five or more years of schooling
total population: 85.8%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and
Barbuda
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
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Capital:
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Saint John's (Antigua) |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*,
Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint
Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip |
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Independence:
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1
November 1981 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day (National Day), 1 November
(1981) |
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Constitution:
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1
November 1981
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Legal system:
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based on English common law |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since
6 February 1952), represented by Governor
General Sir James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June
1993)
head of government: Prime Minister
Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed
by the governor general on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is
hereditary; governor general chosen by the
monarch on the advice of the prime minister;
following legislative elections, the leader of
the majority party or the leader of the majority
coalition is usually appointed prime minister by
the governor general |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(17-member body appointed by the governor
general) and the House of Representatives (17
seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives -
last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in
2009)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint
Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a
resident of the islands and presides over the
Court of Summary Jurisdiction)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD];
Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H.
FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin
SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition
parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement
or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM,
United National Democratic Party or UNDP) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William
ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM
[Hugh MARSHALL] |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,
NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae
LOVELL
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and
Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US
Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua
and Barbuda |
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Flag description:
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red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based
on the top edge of the flag; the triangle
contains three horizontal bands of black (top),
light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun
in the black band |
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Economy - overview:
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Tourism continues to dominate the economy,
accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak
tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have
slowed the economy, however, and pressed the
government into a tight fiscal corner. The
dual-island nation's agricultural production is
focused on the domestic market and constrained
by a limited water supply and a labor shortage
stemming from the lure of higher wages in
tourism and construction. Manufacturing
comprises enclave-type assembly for export with
major products being bedding, handicrafts, and
electronic components. Prospects for economic
growth in the medium term will continue to
depend on income growth in the industrialized
world, especially in the US, which accounts for
slightly more than one-third of tourist
arrivals. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$750 million (2002 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$11,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2%
services: 76.8% (2002) |
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Labor force:
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30,000 |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82%
(1983) |
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Unemployment rate:
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11% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by
percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.4% (2000 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million; including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts,
cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
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Industries:
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tourism, construction, light manufacturing
(clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6% (1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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100 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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93 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0
kWh (2003)
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Electricity - imports:
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0
kWh (2003)
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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3,600 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Natural gas - production:
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0
cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0
cu m (2003 est.) |
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Exports:
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$214 million (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%,
machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and
live animals 4%, other 8% |
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Exports - partners:
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Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004)
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Imports:
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$735 million (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food and live animals, machinery and transport
equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
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Imports - partners:
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China 19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland
8.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$231 million (1999) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.3 million (1995)
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Currency (code):
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East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Exchange rates:
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East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7
(2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7
(2001)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
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Fiscal year:
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1
April - 31 March
|
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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38,000 (2004) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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54,000 (2004) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-268; 1
coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station
- 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands
Antilles) and Guadeloupe |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ag |
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Internet hosts:
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2,143 (2005) |
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Internet users:
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20,000 (2005) |
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Airports:
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3
(2005) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005) |
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Roadways:
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total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (2002) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 981 ships (1000 GRT or over)
7,040,579 GRT/9,274,996 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 38, cargo 614,
chemical tanker 7, container 283, liquefied gas
9, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 8,
roll on/roll off 19, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 953 (Bangladesh 4, Belgium
3, Colombia 2, Denmark 11, Estonia 12, Germany
853, Iceland 7, Isle of Man 1, Latvia 5, Lebanon
1, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 10, Norway 10,
Russia 6, Slovenia 6, Switzerland 4, Turkey 5,
UK 5, US 7) (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Saint John's
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Military branches:
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Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force:
Infantry, Coast Guard (2004) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years of age (est.); no conscript military
service (2001) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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considered a minor transshipment point for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more
significant as an offshore financial center
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