Antigua and Barbuda
Background: 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.
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:
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 153 km Maritime claims:
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism Land use:
Irrigated land: NA sq km 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:
Population: 66,422 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
Population growth rate: 0.73% (2000 est.) Birth rate: 19.6 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 5.99 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Net migration rate: -6.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate: 23.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
Ethnic groups: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman Catholic Languages: English (official), local dialects Literacy:
Country name:
Data code: AC Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament 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 Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981) Constitution: 1 November 1981 Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch:
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)
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 leaders: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM [leader NA]; Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [leader NA]; Progressive Labor Movement or PLM [leader NA]; United National Democratic Party or UNDP [leader NA]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER], a coalition of three opposition political parties - UNDP, ACLM, and PLM Political pressure groups and leaders: Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] International 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, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US:
Diplomatic representation 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
Economy - overview: Tourism continues to be the dominant activity in the economy accounting directly or indirectly for more than half of GDP. In 1999 the budding offshore financial sector was seriously hurt by financial sanctions imposed by the US and UK as a result of the loosening of its money-laundering controls. The government has made efforts to comply with international demands in order to get the sanctions lifted. 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 one-third of all tourist arrivals. GDP: purchasing power parity - $524 million (1999 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (1999 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1999 est.) GDP - composition by sector:
Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1999 est.) Labor force: 30,000 Labor force - by occupation: commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983) Unemployment rate: 7% (1999 est.) Budget:
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1997 est.) Electricity - production: 90 million kWh (1998) Electricity - production by source:
Electricity - consumption: 84 million kWh (1998) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998) Agriculture - products: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock Exports: $38 million (1998) Exports - commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17% Exports - partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3% Imports: $330 million (1998) Imports - commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil Imports - partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3% Debt - external: $357 million (1998) Economic aid - recipient: $2.3 million (1995) Currency: 1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1994) Telephones - mobile cellular: NA Telephone system:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) Radios: 36,000 (1997) Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997) Televisions: 31,000 (1997) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Railways:
Highways:
Ports and harbors: Saint John's Merchant marine:
Airports: 3 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Military branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes Coast Guard) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Disputes - international: none Illicit drugs: considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as a drug-money-laundering center |
|