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| Antigua and Barbuda |
 Click to enlarge |
Home Reference Maps Appendixes
| 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. |
| 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: 443 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 |
| Population: |
67,897 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 9,706; female 9,371) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 22,929; female 22,845) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,218; female 1,828) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 29.1 years male: 28.6 years female: 29.6 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.64% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
18.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-6.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 20.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 71.31 years male: 68.99 years female: 73.75 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| 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.) |
| 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
- 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: 76.9% (2002 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) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
11% (2001 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.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
| Exports: |
$40 million |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
| Exports
- partners: |
OECD 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3% (1998) |
| 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%, OECD 3% (1998) |
| 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 - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March |
 |
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