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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. |
| People | Antigua and Barbuda |
| 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 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -6.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| 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.) |
| 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 (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 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] |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 38,000 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 38,200 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; 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 hosts: | 1,665 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 16 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 10,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Highways: | total: 250 km (1999 est.) |
| Ports and harbors: | Saint John's |
| 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 registered in other countries: 2 (2003 est.) 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 |
| Airports: | 3 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Antigua and Barbuda |
| Military branches: | Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (including 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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