Antigua and Barbuda

§1. Antigua and Barbuda Introduction

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.

§2. Antigua and Barbuda 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: 442.6 km² (Antigua 280 km²; Barbuda 161 km²)
  land: 442.6 km²
  water: 0 km²
  note: includes Redonda, 1.6 km²

Area - comparative:
  2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  153 km

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

Climate:
  tropical maritime; 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: 4.55%
  other: 77.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

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, 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

§3. Antigua and Barbuda People

Population:
  69,108 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  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.)

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

Population growth rate:
  0.55% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
  -6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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: 0.61 male(s)/female
  total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  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.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 72.16 years
  male: 69.78 years
  female: 74.66 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.24 children born/woman (2006 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: 85.8%
  male: NA%
  female: NA% (2003 est.)

§4. Antigua and Barbuda 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)

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 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

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 in 2009)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4,
    UPP 13

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

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, 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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  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

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

§5. Antigua and Barbuda 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.
  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 (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $11,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 3.9%
  industry: 19.2%
  services: 76.8% (2002)

Labor force:
  30,000

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983)

Unemployment rate:
  11% (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.)

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

Agriculture - products:
  cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes,
  sugarcane; livestock

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  6% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
  100 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  93 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
  3,600 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $214 million (2004 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
  Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004)

Imports:
  $735 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures,
  chemicals, oil

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

Debt - external:
  $231 million (1999)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $2.3 million (1995)

Currency (code):
  East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Exchange rates:
  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

Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

§6. Antigua and Barbuda Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  38,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  54,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
  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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  2 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .ag

Internet hosts:
  2,143 (2005)

Internet users:
  20,000 (2005)

§7. Antigua and Barbuda Transportation

Airports:
  3 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 1
  under 914 m: 1 (2005)

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

Merchant marine:
  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)

Ports and terminals:
  Saint John's

§8. Antigua and Barbuda Military

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

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  NA

§9. Antigua and Barbuda 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


<Factbook 2006>
