Statistical information Antigua and Barbuda 1999

Antigua and Barbuda in the World
top of pageBackground: The islands of Antigua and Barbuda became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Some 3,000 refugees fleeing a volcanic eruption on nearby Montserrat have settled in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995.
top of pageLocation: 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 reference:
Central America and the CaribbeanAreaTotal: 440 km²
Land: 440 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Redonda
Comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 153 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land useArable land: 18%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 9%
Forests and woodland: 11%
Other: 62% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October; periodic droughts
Geographytop of pagePopulation: 64,246 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 0.36% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%
NationalityNoun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
Adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic groups: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 26% (male 8,414; female 8,137)
15-64 years: 69% (male 21,936; female 22,227)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,504; female 2,028) (1999 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.36% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 16.22 births/1000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.76 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 20.69 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 71.46 years
Male: 69.06 years
Female: 73.98 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
Total population: 89%
Male: 90%
Female: 88% (1960 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Government type: parliamentary democracy
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
Dependent areasIndependence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Constitution: 1 November 1981
Legal system: based on English common law
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994)
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; prime minister appointed 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 9 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1
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 leadersInternational organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 362-5,211
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 362-5,225
In the us consulates general: Miami
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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Tourism continues to be by far the dominant activity in the economy accounting directly or indirectly for more than half of GDP. Increased tourist arrivals have helped spur growth in the construction and transport sectors. The dual island nation's agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic market; the sector is constrained by the limited water supply and labor shortages that reflect the pull 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 about half of all tourist arrivals.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 6% (1998 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $7,900 (1998 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 4%
Industry: 12.5%
Services: 83.5% (1996 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.)
Labor force: 30,000
By occupation commerceand services: 82%
By occupation agriculture: 11%
By occupation industry: 7% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty line: NA%
Gini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $122.6 million
Expenditures: $141.2 million, including capital expenditures of $17.3 million (1997 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 April_31 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $37.8 million (1997)
Commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17%
Partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Imports: $325.5 million (1997)
Commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $240 million (1997 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1_2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 95 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 95 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 6,700
Telephone systemDomestic: good automatic telephone system
International: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 3 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysTotal: 77 km
Narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane)
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marineTotal: 517 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,706,126 GRT/3,542,664 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 338, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 2, container 111, liquefied gas tanker 2, multifunctional large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 9, roll-on/roll-off cargo 21, vehicle carrier 1
Note: a flag of convenience registry:Germany owns 10 ships, Slovenia 2, and Cyprus 2 (1998 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: over the long-term, considered a relatively minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe and recently, a transshipment point for heroin from Europe to the US; potentially more significant as a drug-money-laundering center