2002 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2002 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
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.
Geography
Area
total: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km land: 442 sq km
Area - comparative
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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, 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: Geography - note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor
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% other: 82% (1998 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
12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Natural hazards
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources
NEGL; 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: 28% (male 9,618; female 9,293) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 22,695; female 22,682) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,289; female 1,871) (2002 est.)
Birth rate
18.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate
5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Ethnic groups
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
21.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Languages
English (official), local dialects
Life expectancy at birth
73.45 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility rate: 2.29 children born/woman (2002 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
-6.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Population
67,448 (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate
0.69% (2002 est.)
Religions
Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman Catholic
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Capital
Saint John's
Constitution
1 November 1981
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
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 [1] (202) 362-5211 FAX:
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993) 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 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994)
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
constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament
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, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, 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 five-year terms) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1 elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)
National holiday
Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)
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]
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Budget
revenues: $123.7 million expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Currency
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code
XCD
Debt - external
$231 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient
$2.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview
Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction work. 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
93 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production
100 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
Exports
$40 million (2000 est.)
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%
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP
purchasing power parity - $674 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 3.9% industry: 19.1% services: 77% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.5% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$357 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities
food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners
US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%
Industrial production growth rate
6% (1997 est.)
Industries
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force
30,000
Labor force - by occupation
commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
7% (2000 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.ag
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
16 (2000)
Internet users
5,000 (2001)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios
36,000 (1997)
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)
Transportation
Airports
3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Highways
total: 1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km note: it is assumed that the main roads are paved; the secondary roads are assumed to be unpaved (1995)
Merchant marine
total: 762 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,541,940 GRT/5,894,553 DWT ships by type: bulk 20, cargo 469, chemical tanker 9, combination bulk 4, container 202, liquefied gas 7, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 35 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 3, Colombia 1, Cuba 1, Estonia 1, Germany 747, Greece 1, Iceland 8, Latvia 1, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 22, New Zealand 2, Portugal 1, Slovenia 6, South Africa 1, Sweden 2, United Kingdom 1, United States 7 (2002 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) (2001 est.)
Waterways
none
Military and Security
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA%
Transnational Issues
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 This page was last updated on 1 January 2002 Afghanistan