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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.
Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament
Capital: Saint John’s
Currency: 1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Geography of Antigua and Barbuda

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:
total: 442 sq. km (Antigua 281 sq. km; Barbuda 161 sq. km)
land: 442 sq. km
water: 0 sq. km
note: includes Redonda
Coastline: 153 km
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
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 62% (1993 est.)
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:
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

People of Antigua and Barbuda

Population: 68,722 (July 2005 est.)
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)
Population growth rate: 0.73%
Birth rate: 19.5 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 5.87 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 22.33 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:  70.74 years
male:  68.45 years
female:  73.14 years
Total fertility rate: 2.31 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic groups: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant, some Roman Catholic
Languages: English (official), local dialects
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 Economy

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 United States and the United Kingdom 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:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 12.5%
services: 83.5% (1996 est.)
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:
revenues: $122.6 million
expenditures: $141.2 million, including capital expenditures of $17.3 million (1997 est.)
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1997 est.)
Electricity – production: 95 million kWh (1999)
Electricity – production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity – consumption: 88.4 million kWh (1999)
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

Map of Antigua and Barbuda