 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
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Background: |
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. Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Location: |
Caribbean,
islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates: |
17 03 N, 61
48 W |
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Map references: |
Central
America and the Caribbean |
|
Area: |
total:
443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land:
443 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes
Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
2.5 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries: |
0 km |
|
Coastline: |
153 km
|
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Maritime claims: |
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: |
tropical;
little seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain: |
mostly
low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic
areas |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak
402 m |
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Natural resources: |
NEGL;
pleasant climate fosters tourism |
|
Land use: |
arable
land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other:
77.27% (2001) |
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Irrigated land: |
NA sq km
|
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Natural hazards: |
hurricanes
and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts |
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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, 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 Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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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.) |
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Median age: |
total: 29.4 years
male: 28.9 years
female: 29.9 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.6% (2004
est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
17.7
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
5.55
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-6.15
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
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: 0.65 male(s)/female
total population:
1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
total:
20.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 24.29 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 15.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
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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.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
NA |
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Nationality: |
noun:
Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
|
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Ethnic groups: |
black,
British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian |
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Religions: |
Christian,
(predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman
Catholic) |
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Languages: |
English
(official), local dialects |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more
years of schooling
total population: 89%
male:
90%
female: 88% (1960 est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short
form: Antigua and Barbuda |
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Government type: |
constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament |
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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 |
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Independence: |
1 November
1981 (from UK) |
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National holiday: |
Independence
Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) |
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Constitution: |
1 November
1981 |
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Legal system: |
based on
English common law |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of
age; universal |
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Executive branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented
by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister 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: |
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 NA 2009)
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 |
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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) |
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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) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Antigua
Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's
Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] |
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International organization participation: |
ACP, C,
Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OAS,
OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Lionel A. HURST
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: |
the US does
not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June
1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is
accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
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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
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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. 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 - $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) |
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Population below poverty line: |
NA |
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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 |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983) |
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Unemployment rate: |
11% (2001
est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9
million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
cotton,
fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes,
sugarcane; livestock |
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Industries: |
tourism,
construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household
appliances) |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
6% (1997
est.) |
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Electricity - production: |
105.3 million
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
97.89 million
kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2001)
|
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Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
3,600 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports: |
NA (2001)
|
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Oil - imports: |
NA (2001)
|
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Exports: |
$689 million
(2002) |
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Exports - commodities: |
petroleum
products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment
17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
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Exports - partners: |
Germany
85.8%, UK 3.9%, US 3.3% (2003 est.) |
|
Imports: |
$692 million
(2002 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
food and
live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures,
chemicals, oil |
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Imports - partners: |
US 23.1%,
South Korea 11.2%, Singapore 8.8%, Poland 6.4%, Germany 5.3%, UK
5.3%, Netherlands Antilles 4.8% (2003 est.) |
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Debt - external: |
$231 million
(1999) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
$2.3 million
(1995) |
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Currency: |
East
Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code: |
XCD |
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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)
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Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31
March Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Highways: |
total:
250 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Saint John's
|
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Merchant marine: |
total: 867 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626
GRT/7,683,143 DWT
by type: bulk 25, cargo 477, chemical
tanker 13, container 284, liquefied gas 10, multi-functional large
load carrier 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 32, vehicle
carrier 1
foreign-owned: Australia 1, Bahamas 1,
Bangladesh 2, Belgium 3, Colombia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 3,
France 1, Germany 818, Greece 2, Iceland 5, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1,
Lithuania 2, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 19, New Zealand 1, Norway 2,
Portugal 1, Slovenia 5, Sweden 2, Switzerland 5, Turkey 3, United
States 10
registered in other countries: 2 (2003 est.)
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Airports: |
3 (2003
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914
m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
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