World Countries Info 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
Geography of Antigua
|
Location:
|
Caribbean, islands between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto
Rico |
|
Geographic coordinates:
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17 03 N, 61 48 W |
|
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: 443 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
2.5 times the size of
Washington, DC |
|
Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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153 km |
|
Maritime claims:
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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.) |
|
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, 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
|
Population of Antigua
|
Population:
|
68,320 (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 9,761;
female 9,429)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 23,179; female 23,023)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 1,151; female 1,777) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 29.4 years
male: 28.9 years
female: 29.9 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.6% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
17.7 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
5.55 deaths/1,000 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-6.15 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 15.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 24.29 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.6 years
male: 69.26 years
female: 74.07 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese,
Syrian |
|
Religions:
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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.)
|
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 (Antigua) |
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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 10 June
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 Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) |
|
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 - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 12,
contested 1; note - new election will decide the contested seat
elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held NA
2009) |
|
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] |
Economy
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.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $750 million
(2002 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
3% (2002 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2%
services: 76.8% (2002) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2000 est.) |
|
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) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
11% (2001 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:
|
105.3 million kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
97.89 million kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
3,600 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas,
coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
|
Exports:
|
$689 million (2002) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%,
machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
|
Exports - partners:
|
France 68.7%, Germany 26.6%, Italy 1.2%
(2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$692 million (2002 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
food and live animals, machinery and
transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil |
|
Imports - partners:
|
France 23%, Germany 14.9%, US 13%, South
Korea 8.1%, Singapore 4.9%, Poland 4.6%, UK 4.3% (2002) |
|
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 - 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) (fixed rate since 1976) |
|
Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
|
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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