Background: The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2,400 B.C. but Arawak 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.

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N 61 48 W

Map reference: 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
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
Extremes 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

Total renewable water resources: 0.1 km³ (2000)

Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Geography
Note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

Population: 84,522 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.305% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Antiguan, Barbudan
Adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Ethnic groups: black 91% mixed 4.4% white 1.7% other 2.9% (2001 census)

Languages: English (official) local dialects

Religions: Anglican 25.7% Seventh Day Adventist 12.3% Pentecostal 10.6% Moravian 10.5% Roman Catholic 10.4% Methodist 7.9% Baptist 4.9% Church of God 4.5% other Christian 5.4% other 2% none or unspecified 5.8% (2001 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 27.2% (male 11,670/female 11,318)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 26,138/female 29,859)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,408/female 3,129) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 29.5 years
Male: 28 years
Female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.305% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 16.78 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.41 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

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
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, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.88 male/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male/female
Total population: 0.91 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 17.49 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 20.21 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.62 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.25 years
Male: 72.33 years
Female: 76.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (2002)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
Total population: 85.8%
Male: NA%
Female: NA% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government

Capital
Name: Saint John's
Geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)
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: 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
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); member Caribbean Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM Progressive Labor Movement or PLM United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU ITUC MIGA NAM 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
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 362-5,122
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; 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 overview: Antigua has a relatively high GDP per capita in comparison to most other Caribbean nations. It has experienced solid growth since 2003 driven by a construction boom in hotels and housing that which should wind down in 2008. Tourism continues to dominate the economy accounting for more than half of GDP. 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. Since taking office in 2004 the SPENCER government has adopted an ambitious fiscal reform program but will continue to be saddled by its debt burden with a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 100%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.526 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.1% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $18,300 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.8%
Industry: 22%
Services: 74.3% (2002 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: NA%

Labor force: 30,000 (1991)
By occupation agriculture: 7%
By occupation industry: 11%
By occupation services: 82% (1983)

Unemployment rate: 11% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $123.7 million
Expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.44% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $1.002 billion (31 December 2007)

Current account balance: $-211 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $84.3 million (2007 est.)
Commodities: petroleum products bedding handicrafts electronic components transport equipment food and live animals
Partners: Spain 34% Germany 20.7% Italy 7.7% Singapore 5.8% UK 4.9% (2006)

Imports: $522.8 million (2007 est.)
Commodities: food and live animals machinery and transport equipment manufactures chemicals oil
Partners: US 21.1% China 16.4% Germany 13.3% Singapore 12.7% Spain 6.5% (2006)

Debt external: $359.8 million (June 2006)

Exchange rates
Note: fixed rate since 1976

Electricity
Production: 105 million kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 97.65 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 37,500 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 110,200 (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: good automatic telephone system
International: country code - 1-268; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ag
Hosts: 2,215 (2008)
Users: 60,000 (2007)

Military expenditures: NA

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Airports: 3 (2007)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 1,165 km
Paved: 384 km
Unpaved: 781 km (2002)

Merchant marine
Total: 1,146
By type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 50, cargo 651, carrier 4, chemical tanker 5, container 392, liquefied gas 12, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20
Foreign owned: 1,113 (Australia 1, Colombia 2, Cyprus 18, Denmark 19, Estonia 23, France 1, Germany 941, Greece 3, Iceland 12, Italy 1, Latvia 13, Lithuania 5, Netherlands 20, NZ 2, Norway 8, Poland 2, Russia 4, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Turkey 6, UK 9, US 8) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Saint John's

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