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 Capital: Saint John's
Population: 85,632 (July 2009 est.)
Currency: East Caribbean dollars (XCD)
Language: English (official), local dialects
Time zone: UTC-4
Government: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a Commonwealth realm
Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)
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GDP real growth rate :
- 2.1% (2008 est.)
- 6.1% (2007 est.)
- 12.2% (2006 est.)
- Imports: $522.8 million (2007 est.)
- Dialing Country code: +1-268
- National Airline: Antigua Paradise airways
Detailed country profile
ECONOMY
GDP real growth rate:
- 2.1% (2008 est.)
- 6.1% (2007 est.)
- 12.2% (2006 est.)
GDP-Composition by sector(2002)
- Agriculture: 3.8%
- Industry: 22%
- Services: 74.3%
Labor force by occupation(1983):
- Agriculture: 7%
- Industry: 11%
- Services: 82% (1983)
Agriculture products:
- Cotton
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Bananas
- Coconuts
- Cucumbers
- Mangoes
- Sugarcane
- Livestock
Industries:
- Tourism
- Construction
- Light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Exports: $84.3 million (2007 est.)
Export Commodities
- Petroleum products
- Bedding
- Handicrafts
- Electronic components
- Transport equipment
- Food and live animals
Imports:$522.8 million (2007 est.)
Import commodities:
- Food and live animals
- Machinery and transport equipment
- Manufactures
- Chemicals
- Oil
Ports and Terminal:Saint John's
Unemployment rate:11% (2001 est.)
GOVERNMENT
Government Type: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a Commonwealth realm
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
Legal system:Based on English common law
GEOGRAPHY
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: pleasant climate fosters tourism
Environment and international agreement:
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
Environment and current issues:
- Water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources
- Clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
PEOPLE
Ethnic groups:
- Black 91%
- Mixed 4.4%
- White 1.7%
- Other 2.9%
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Religion(2001 census):
- 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%
HISTORY
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.
Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov
See also:
Antigua and Barbuda Trade Agreements
Embassies and Consulates in Antigua and Barbuda
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