Antigua and Barbuda (GPS: 17 03 N, 61 48 W) located in Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico. The country’s area measurements are total: 442.6 sq km; land: 442.6 sq km, water: 0 sq km. This sovereign state is 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC. The total irrigated land is 1.3 sq km (2012).
Antigua and Barbuda’s important features: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches. Barbuda has a large western harbor.
It’s significant, and at the same time, the principal city, Saint John’s GPS coordinates are 17 07 N 61 51 W. Saint John’s local time is 1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time. The capital’s time difference: UTC-4.
Google Maps Antigua and Barbuda and Saint John’s, Central America and the Caribbean
About Antigua and Barbuda in detail
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda
Map of Antigua and Barbuda
The Siboney were the first people to inhabit Antigua and Barbuda’s islands in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. An English colony succeeded in early Spanish and French settlements 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. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda, devastating the island and forcing the population’s evacuation to Antigua. Almost all the Barbuda structures were destroyed, and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.
Antigua and Barbuda’s names conventional long form: none, conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda, etymology: “Antiguo” is Spanish for “ancient” or “old”; Christopher COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1493 and, according to tradition, named by him after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua (Old Saint Mary’s) in Seville; “Barbuda” is Spanish for “bearded,” and the adjective may refer to the alleged beards of the indigenous people or the island’s bearded-fig trees. “Antiguo” is Spanish for “ancient” or “old”; Christopher COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1493 and, according to tradition, named by him after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua (Old Saint Mary’s) in Seville; “Barbuda” is Spanish for “bearded,” and the adjective may refer to the alleged beards of the indigenous people or the island’s bearded fig trees.
Antigua and Barbuda’s terrain is typically mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas. The country’s mean elevation: N/A, elevation extremes; lowest point: the Caribbean Sea 0 m, highest point: Mount Obama 402 m.
The general climate in the country; tropical maritime: little seasonal temperature variation.
The total number of border countries is 0. None are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Antigua and Barbuda’s coastline is 153 km. At the same time, its marital claims are: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles, exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles, continental shelf: 200 nautical miles, or to the edge of the continental margin. Waterways: N/A. Land use: agricultural land: 20.5%; arable land 9.1%; permanent crops 2.3%; permanent pasture 9.1%; forest: 22.3%; other: 57.2% (2011 estimate).
The population in Antigua and Barbuda 95,882 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 23.8% of total population (2015), major urban area’s population: SAINT JOHN’S (capital) 22,000 (2014), while Antigua and Barbuda have the island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington. Their spoken languages are English (official language), Antiguan creole. Main religions in Antigua and Barbuda are Protestant 68.3% (Anglican 17.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.4%, Pentecostal 12.2%, Moravian 8.3%, Methodist 5.6%, Wesleyan Holiness 4.5%, Church of God 4.1%, Baptist 3.6%), Roman Catholic 8.2%, other 12.2%, unspecified 5.5%, none 5.9% (2011 estimate). The nation uses common law based on the English model. It is a(n) parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy, a Commonwealth realm, National holiday(s) Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981).
Economic overview for the country: Tourism continues to dominate Antigua and Barbuda’s economy, accounting for nearly 60% of GDP and 40% investment. The dual-island nation’s agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises an enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Like other countries in the region, Antigua’s economy was severely hit by the effects of the global economic recession in 2009.
The country suffered from the collapse of its largest private-sector employer, a steep decline in tourism, a rise in debt, and a sharp economic contraction between 2009 and 2011. Antigua has not yet returned to its pre-crisis growth levels. Barbuda suffered significant damages after hurricanes Irma and Maria passed through the Caribbean in 2017. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on tourist arrivals from the US, Canada, and Europe and could be disrupted by potential damage from natural disasters. The new government, elected in 2014 and led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne, continues to face significant fiscal challenges. The government places some hope in a new Citizenship by Investment Program to reduce public debt levels and spur growth and a resolution of a WTO dispute with the US.
Natural resources of Antigua and Barbuda: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism.
Main export partners for Antigua and Barbuda, Central America, and the Caribbean are N/A for petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts, electronic components, transport equipment, food, and live animals, while the main import partners for the country are: N/A for food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil.
When you visit this country in Central America and the Caribbean, consider the natural hazards in Antigua and Barbuda: Hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October), periodic droughts, while infectious diseases are noted: active local transmission of the Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes have been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016). Also, note that Antigua and Barbuda face the following environmental issues: Water management – a major concern because of limited natural freshwater resources – is further hampered by trees’ clearing to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly.
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