1987 Edition

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

153 km

Comparative area

about two and onehalf times the size of Washington, D.C.

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Environment

subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (June to October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural harbors

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land use

18% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 59% other

Special notes

about 650 km from Puerto Rico

Terrain

mostly low-lying with some higher volcanic areas

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

20 km Barbuda Caribbean Saa ST. JOHN’ se ; 9 Redonds

440 km?; land area: 440 km?

Ethnic divisions

almost entirely of black African origin; some of British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin

Infant mortality rate

31.5/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

30,000; 20% unemployment (1983); agriculture 11%, industry 7%, and commerce and services 82%

Language

English (official), local dialects

Life expectancy

70

Literacy

about 90%

Nationality

noun—Antiguan(s); adjective—Antiguan

Population

69,280 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.47%

Religion

Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic

Administrative divisions

6 parishes, 2 dependencies (Barbuda, Redonda)

Branches

bicameral legislative, 17-member popularly elected House of Representatives and 17-member Senate; executive, Prime Minister and Cabinet; judiciary, Court of Appeals

Capital

St. John’s

Communists

negligible

Elections

every five years; last general election 17 April 1984 Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. Bird, Sr., Lester Bird; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor Heath

Government leaders

Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr., Prime Minister (since 1976); Lester BIRD, Deputy Prime Minister (since 1976); Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS, Governor General (since 1967)

Legal system

based on English common law; British Caribbean Court of Appeal has exclusive original jurisdiction and an appellate jurisdiction

Member of

CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ILO, IMF, ISO, OAS, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WMO

Official name

Antigua and Barbuda

Other political or pressure groups

Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) Hector

Suffrage

universal suffrage at age 18

Type

independent state recognizing Elizabeth II as Chief of State

Voting strength

(1984 election) House of Representatives—ALP, 16 seats; independent, 1 seat

Agriculture

cotton (main crop), sugar, livestock

Aid

bilateral commitments, ODA and OOF (1970-80) from Western (non-US) countries, $20 million

Budget

(current) revenues, $40 million; expenditures, $44 million (1984)

Electric power

29,000 kW capacity; 63.8 million kWh produced, 780 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$41 million (f.0.b., 1984); clothing, rum, lobsters

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GDP

$158 million (1984), $1,980 per capita; inflation rate 4.0% (1985)

Imports

$134 million (f.0.b., 1984); fuel, food, machinery

Major industries

tourism 15.2%, construction 7.7%, manufacturing 0.5%

Major trade partners

exports—47% Trinidad and Tobago, 8% Barbados, 1% US; imports—49% US, 13% UK, 4% Jamaica, 2% Trinidad and Tobago (1983)

Monetary conversion rate

2.70 East Caribbean (EC) dollars=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

negligible

Airfields

2 total, 1 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m

Civil air

10 major transport aircraft

Highways

240 km main

Ports

| major (St. John’s), 1 minor

Railroads

64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, 13 km 0.610-meter gauge, employed almost exclusively for handling cane

Telecommunications

good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones (9.2 per 100 popl.); tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; 6 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV stations; I coaxial submarine cable; 1 satellite ground station

Branches

Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force