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Antigua and Barbuda, together with the tiny uninhabited island of Redonda, are an independent Caribbean nation.
Coral reefs are relatively widespread in the coastal waters. Antigua has some fringing reefs, but also more extensive, though intermittent, bank barrier reef structures offshore. Barbuda has extensive fringing reefs, particularly along its eastern coastline, topped by a well developed algal ridge.
The reefs, particularly in nearshore areas, are reported to have been degraded in recent years, possibly due to increasing sedimentation and nutrient enrichment associated with coastal development. Offshore reefs and those to the north of Barbuda generally have higher coral cover and species richness. Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn caused further damage when they struck the islands in 1995.
Geography
Area:Antigua--281 sq. km. (108 sq. mi.); Barbuda--161 sq. km. (62 sq. mi.).
Cities: Capital--St. John's (pop. 30,000).
Terrain: Generally low-lying, with highest elevation 405 m. (1,330 ft.).
Climate: Tropical maritime.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s).
Population (2000): 71,400.
Annual population growth rate (1999): 1.1%.
Ethnic groups: Almost entirely of African origin; some of British, Portuguese, and Levantine Arab origin.
Religions: Principally Anglican, with evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic minorities.
Language: English.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--about 90%.
Health: Life expectancy--71 yrs. male; 75 yrs. female. Infant mortality rate--18/1,000.
Work force (31,300): Commerce and services, agriculture, other industry. Unemployment (est. 2000): 8.0%.
Economy
GDP (est. 2000, current U.S. dollars): $691.9 million.
GDP growth rate (est. 2000): 2.5%.
Per capita GDP (est. 2000): $9,690.
Natural resources: Negligible.
Agriculture (1998, 3.9% of GDP): Products--cotton, livestock, vegetables, pineapples.
Services: Tourism, banking, and other financial services.
Trade (est. 2000): Exports $39.8 million--OECS (24%), U.S. (10%), Trinidad and Tobago (7%), Barbados (21%). Imports $375 million--U.S. (27%), U.K. (10%), OECS (1%).
Profile
As head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is represented in Antigua and Barbuda by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Antigua and Barbuda has a bicameral legislature: a 17-member Senate appointed by the governor general--mainly on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition--and a 17-member popularly elected House of Representatives. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House and conducts affairs of state with the cabinet. The prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the Parliament. Elections must be held at least every 5 years but may be called by the prime minister at any time. .
History
AAntigua was first inhabited by the Siboney ("stone people") whose settlements date at least to 2400 BC. The Siboney were succeeded by the Arawaks who originated in Venezuela and gradually migrated up the chain of islands now called the Lesser Antilles. The warlike Carib people drove the Arawaks from neighboring islands but apparently did not settle on either Antigua or Barbuda.
Christopher Columbus landed on the islands in 1493 naming the larger one "Santa Maria de la Antigua." The English colonized the islands in 1632. Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar estate in Antigua in 1674, and leased Barbuda to raise provisions for his plantations. Barbuda's only town is named after him. Codrington and others brought slaves from Africa's west coast to work the plantations.
Antiguan slaves were emancipated in 1834 but remained economically dependent on the plantation owners. Economic opportunities for the new freedmen were limited by a lack of surplus farming land, no access to credit, and an economy built on agriculture rather than manufacturing. Poor labor conditions persisted until 1939 when a member of a royal commission urged the formation of a trade union movement.
The Antigua Trades and Labor Union, formed shortly afterward, became the political vehicle for Vere Cornwall Bird who became the union's president in 1943. The Antigua Labor Party (ALP), formed by Bird and other trade unionists, first ran candidates in the 1946 elections and became the majority party in 1951 beginning a long history of electoral victories.
Voted out of office in the 1971 general elections that swept the progressive labor movement into power, Bird and the ALP returned to office in 1976; the party won renewed mandates in the general elections in 1984 and 1989. In the 1989 elections, the ruling ALP won all but two of the 17 seats.
During elections in March 1994, power passed from Vere Bird to his son, Lester Bird, but remained within the ALP, which won 11 of the 17 parliamentary seats. In the last elections in March 1999, the ALP gained another seat resulting in a distribution of 12 seats to the ALP, four seats to the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) led by Baldwin Spencer, and one seat to the Barbuda People's Movement (BPM).
Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center,
