Antigua & Barbuda. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | 
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| Introduction | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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. |
| Geography | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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 |
| People | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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.) |
| Government | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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 |
| Economy | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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 |
| Communications | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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) |
| Transportation | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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) |
| Military | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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% |
| Transnational Issues | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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 |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
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