INTRODUCTION
Background: The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 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.
GEOGRAPHY
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: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Area - 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
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 cu km (2000)
Freshwater Withdrawal (Domestic/Industrial/Agricultural): total: 0.005 cu km/yr (60%/20%/20%)
Per capita: 63 cu m/yr (1990)
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, 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
Population: 69,842 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.9% (male 9,561/female 9,220)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 24,467/female 24,076)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 927/female 1,591) (2008 est.)
Median age: total: 30.5 years
male: 30 years
female: 31.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.508% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 16.35 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 5.25 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 17.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.69 years
male: 70.28 years
female: 75.22 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (2008 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 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census)
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)
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 85.8%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2003 est.)
ECONOMY
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 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): $1.145 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $905 million (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 22%
services: 74.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 30,000 (1991)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 7%
industry: 11%
services: 82% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 11% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 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%
Electricity - production: 105 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 97.65 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption: 3,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Current account balance: $-83.4 million (2004)
Exports: $46.81 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%
Exports - partners: Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2006)
Imports: $378 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners: US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: $7.23 million (2005)
Debt - external: $427.3 million; note - data are for public external debt, not total external debt (2000)
Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002)
note: fixed rate since 1976
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
COMMUNICATIONS
Telephones - main lines in use: 40,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 102,000 (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) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)
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: 2,133 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 32,000 (2006)
TRANSPORTATION
Airports: 3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways: total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (2002)
Merchant marine: total: 1,059 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,158,597 GRT/10,757,767 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 46, cargo 612, carrier 4, chemical tanker 6, container 350, liquefied gas 11, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20
foreign-owned: 1,021 (Australia 1, Colombia 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 15, Estonia 15, France 1, Germany 891, Greece 3, Iceland 9, Latvia 9, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 6, Netherlands 19, Norway 7, NZ 2, Poland 2, Russia 5, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 7, UK 4, US 8, Vietnam 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals: Saint John's
MILITARY
Military branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,952
females age 18-49: 18,360 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 14,859
females age 18-49: 14,947 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 507
females age 18-49: 494 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA (2006)
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES
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 1 May, 2008