1997 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1997 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total: 440 sq km land: 440 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda
Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
153 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Desertification
Geographic coordinates
17 03 N, 61 48 W
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land : 18% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 11% other: 62% (1993 est.)
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf : 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources
negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Terrain
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 26% (male 8,514; female 8,221) 15-64 years: 68% (male 21,499; female 21,891) 65 years and over : 6% (male 1,571; female 2,043) (July 1997 est.)
Birth rate
17.27 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate
5.98 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Ethnic groups
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Infant mortality rate
22 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Languages
English (official), local dialects
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.93 years male : 68.58 years female: 73.4 years (1997 est.)
Literacy
definition : age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1960 est.)
Nationality
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Net migration rate
-6.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Population
63,739 (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate
0.44% (1997 est.)
Religions
Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.76 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Constitution
1 November 1981
Country name
conventional long form : none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Data code
AC
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211, 5166, 5122
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general chosen by the queen on the advice of the prime minister; prime minister appointed by the governor general
FAX
[1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami
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
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Independence
1 November 1981 (from UK)
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, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
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
Legal system
based on English common law
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 5-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 8 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999) election results : percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 11, UPP 5, independent 1
National capital
Saint John's
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Political parties and leaders
Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER], a coalition of three opposition political parties - the United National Democratic Party or UNDP; the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM; and the Progressive Labor Movement or PLM
Political pressure groups and leaders
Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Budget
revenues : $134 million expenditures: $135.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995)
Currency
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Debt - external
$435 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid
$NA
Economy - overview
Tourism continues to be by far the dominant activity in the economy but the combined share in GDP of transport and communications, trade, and public utilities has increased markedly in recent years. Tourism's direct contribution to output in 1994 was about 20%. In addition, increased tourist arrivals helped spur growth in the construction and transport sectors. The dual island nation's agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic market; the sector is constrained by the limited water supply and labor shortages that reflect the pull of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for about half of all tourist arrivals.
Electricity - capacity
54,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita
NA kWh
Electricity - production
NA kWh
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (February 1997; fixed rate since 1976)
Exports
total value: $45 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17% partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP
purchasing power parity - $446 million (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture : 3.5% industry: 19.3% services: 77.2% (1994 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $6,800 (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.7% (1996 est.)
Imports
total value: $350.8 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
Industrial production growth rate
NA
Industries
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Inflation rate - consumer price index
4% (1996 est.)
Labor force
total: 30,000 by occupation : commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
Unemployment rate
5%-10%(1995 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 2
Radios
NA
Telephone system
domestic: good automatic telephone system international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Telephones
6,700
Television broadcast stations
2
Televisions
28,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
3 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m : 2 (1996 est.)
Highways
total: 245 km (1995 est.) paved : NA km unpaved: NA km
Merchant marine
total: 419 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,965,180 GRT/2,637,644 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 285, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk 1, container 83, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 19 note : a flag of convenience registry: Germany owns 13 ships, Slovenia 3, Croatia 1, Cyprus 1, and US 1 (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors
Saint John's
Railways
total: 77 km narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane)
Military and Security
Military branches
Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$1.4 million (FY90/91)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1% (FY90/91)
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49: NA
Military manpower - fit for military service
males: NA
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
considered a long-time but relatively minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe and recent transshipment point for heroin from Europe to the US; potentially more significant as a drug money-laundering center ______________________________________________________________________ ARCTIC OCEAN [Map of Arctic Ocean]