2001 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2001 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Administrative divisions
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Age structure
0-14 years: 27.97% (male 9,527; female 9,203) 15-64 years: 67.15% (male 22,450; female 22,519) 65 years and over: 4.88% (male 1,360; female 1,911) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Airports
3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) Antigua and Barbuda Military
Area
total: 442 sq km (Antigua 281 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda
Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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. Antigua and Barbuda Geography
Birth rate
19.5 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget
revenues: $122.6 million expenditures: $141.2 million, including capital expenditures of $17.3 million (1997 est.)
Capital
Saint John's
Climate
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline
153 km
Constitution
1 November 1981
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Currency
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code
XCD
Death rate
5.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external
$357 million (1998)
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
Disputes - international
none
Economic aid - recipient
$2.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview
Tourism continues to be the dominant activity in the economy accounting directly or indirectly for more than half of GDP. The budding offshore financial sector has been 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. Antigua and Barbuda was listed as a tax haven by the OECD in 2000. 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.
Electricity - consumption
88.4 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production
95 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Antigua and Barbuda People
Ethnic groups
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (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 monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; prime minister appointed by the governor general
Exports
$38 million (1998)
Exports - commodities
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%
Exports - partners
OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
FAX
[1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March Antigua and Barbuda Communications
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 Antigua and Barbuda Economy
GDP
purchasing power parity - $533 million (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 4% industry: 12.5% services: 83.5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
4.6% (1999 est.)
Geographic coordinates
17 03 N, 61 48 W
Government type
constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
Highways
total: 1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs
considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as a drug-money-laundering center
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%
Independence
1 November 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate
6% (1997 est.)
Industries
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Infant mortality rate
22.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.6% (1999 est.)
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, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet country code
.ag
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
16 (2000)
Internet users
8,000 (2000) Antigua and Barbuda Transportation
Irrigated land
NA sq km
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)
Labor force
30,000
Labor force - by occupation
commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 18% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 11% other: 62% (1993 est.)
Languages
English (official), local dialects
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 five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.74 years male: 68.45 years female: 73.14 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1960 est.) Antigua and Barbuda Government
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
Merchant marine
total: 681 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,070,390 GRT/5,289,904 DWT ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 424, chemical tanker 10, combination bulk 4, container 176, liquefied gas 4, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 29 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Germany 4, Slovenia 2 (2000 est.)
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% Antigua and Barbuda Transnational Issues
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Nationality
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Natural hazards
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources
NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Net migration rate
-6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders
Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and 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]
Population
66,970 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Population growth rate
0.74% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors
Saint John's
Radio broadcast stations
AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
36,000 (1997)
Railways
total: 77 km narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane)
Religions
Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Telephone system
general assessment: NA 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 - main lines in use
28,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1,300 (1996)
Television broadcast stations
2 (1997)
Televisions
31,000 (1997)
Terrain
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Total fertility rate
2.31 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate
7% (1999 est.)
Waterways
none