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.

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

17 03 N, 61 48 W

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

0 km

153 km

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

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

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

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

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other: 77.27% (2005)

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

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

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

69,108 (July 2006 est.)

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.)

total: 30 years
male: 29.5 years
female: 30.5 years (2006 est.)

0.55% (2006 est.)

16.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

-6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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.)

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.)

total population: 72.16 years
male: 69.78 years
female: 74.66 years (2006 est.)

2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian

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

English (official), local dialects

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 85.8%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2003 est.)

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

constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament

Saint John's (Antigua)

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

1 November 1981 (from UK)

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

1 November 1981

based on English common law

18 years of age; universal

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

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); member Caribbean Court of Justice

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.

$750 million (2002 est.)

3% (2002 est.)

$11,000 (2002 est.)

agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2%
services: 76.8% (2002)

30,000

agriculture: 7%
industry: 11%
services: 82% (1983)

11% (2001 est.)

0.4% (2000 est.)

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

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

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

6% (1997 est.)

100 million kWh (2003)

93 million kWh (2003)

3,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

$214 million (2004 est.)

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

Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004)

$735 million (2004 est.)

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

China 19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland 8.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2004)

$231 million (1999)

$2.3 million (1995)

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

1 April - 31 March

38,000 (2004)

54,000 (2004)

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

AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

2 (1997)

.ag

2,143 (2005)

20,000 (2005)

3 (2005)

total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005)

total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005)

total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (2002)

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)

Saint John's

Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force: Infantry, Coast Guard (2004)

none

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