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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.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates 

17 03 N, 61 48 W

Map references 

Central America and the Caribbean

Area 

total: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
land: 442 sq km

Area - comparative 

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries 

0 km

Coastline 

153 km

Maritime claims 

contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate 

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain 

mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m

Natural resources 

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Land use 

arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 81.82% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

NA sq km

Natural hazards 

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Environment - current issues 

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

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note 

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor

[edit] People

Population 

67,448 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 28% (male 9,618; female 9,293)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 22,695; female 22,682)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,289; female 1,871) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.69% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

18.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-6.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

21.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 71.02 years
female: 73.45 years (2002 est.)
male: 68.72 years

Total fertility rate 

2.29 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

NA

Nationality 

noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Ethnic groups 

black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian

Religions 

Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)

Languages 

English (official), local dialects

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88% (1960 est.)

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Government type 

constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament

Capital 

Saint John's

Administrative divisions 

6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

Independence 

1 November 1981 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)

Constitution 

1 November 1981

Legal system 

based on English common law

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch 

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993)
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
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Robin YEARWOOD

Legislative branch 

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)
election results: percent of vote by party - ALP 53.2%, UPP 45.5%, independent 1.3%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1
elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next to be held prior to March 2004)

Judicial branch 

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)

Political parties and leaders 

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 - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM)

Political pressure groups and leaders 

Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

International organization participation 

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami

Diplomatic representation from the US 

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

Flag description 

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

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

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 work. 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 about one-third of all tourist arrivals.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $674 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

3.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 4%
industry: 19%
services: 77% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line 

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

0.4% (2000 est.)

Labor force 

30,000

Labor force - by occupation 

commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983) (1983)

Unemployment rate 

7% (2000 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries 

tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

Industrial production growth rate 

6% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production 

100 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

93 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock

Exports 

$40 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities 

petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%

Exports - partners 

OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%

Imports 

$357 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities 

food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil

Imports - partners 

US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%

Debt - external 

$231 million (1999)

Economic aid - recipient 

$2.3 million (1995)

Currency 

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code 

XCD

Exchange rates 

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year 

1 April - 31 March

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

28,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

1,300 (1996)

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios 

36,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

2 (1997)

Televisions 

31,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.ag

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

16 (2000)

Internet users 

5,000 (2001)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 77 km
narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane) (2001 est.)

Highways 

total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km
note: it is assumed that the main roads are paved; the secondary roads are assumed to be unpaved (1995)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Saint John's

Merchant marine 

total: 762 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,541,940 GRT/5,894,553 DWT
ships by type: bulk 20, cargo 469, chemical tanker 9, combination bulk 4, container 202, liquefied gas 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 35
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 3, Colombia 1, Cuba 1, Estonia 1, Germany 747, Greece 1, Iceland 8, Latvia 1, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 22, New Zealand 2, Portugal 1, Slovenia 6, South Africa 1, Sweden 2, United Kingdom 1, United States 7 (2002 est.)

Airports 

3 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (including the Coast Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

NA%

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center