Antigua and Barbuda

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 2 radios: NA

Telephone system

6,700 telephones; good automatic telephone system local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe

Television

broadcast stations: 2 televisions: NA

Branches

Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY90/91) ARCTIC OCEAN

Agriculture

accounts for 5% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues: $105 million expenditures: $161 million, including capital expenditures of $56 million (1992)

Currency

1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments (1985-88), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $50 million

Electricity

capacity: 52,100 kW production: 95 million kWh consumption per capita: 1,242 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports

$54.7 million (f.o.b., 1992) 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%

External debt

$250 million (1990 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Illicit drugs

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; more significant as a drug money laundering center

Imports

$260.9 million (f.o.b., 1992) 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 -4.9% (1993 est.); accounts for 6.5% of GDP

Industries

tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (1993)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $400 million (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$6,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

3.4% (1993)

Overview

The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important determinant of economic performance. In 1993, tourism made a direct contribution to GDP of about 17%, and also spurred growth in other sectors such as construction and transport. While only accounting for roughly 5% of GDP in 1993, agricultural production increased by 4%. Tourist arrivals remained strong in 1994.

Unemployment rate

6% (1992 est.)

Area

total area: 440 sq km land area: 440 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes Redonda

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

153 km

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 natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts 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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 18% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 16% other: 59%

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 resources

negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Terrain

mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas

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

Digraph

AC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211, 5166, 5122

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

FAX

[1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami

Flag

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

House of Representatives

elections last held 8 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) ALP 11, UPP 5, independent 1

Independence

1 November 1981 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Member of

ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 November (1981)

Other political or pressure groups

United Progressive Party (UPP), headed by Baldwin SPENCER, a coalition of three opposition political parties - the United National Democratic Party (UNDP); the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM); and the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM); Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by William ROBINSON

Political parties and leaders

Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Lester Bryant BIRD; United Progressive Party (UPP), Baldwin SPENCER

Senate

17 member body appointed by the governor general

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

the post was closed 30 June 1994; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda

Age structure

0-14 years: 25% (female 8,062; male 8,390) 15-64 years: 69% (female 22,342; male 22,334) 65 years and over: 6% (female 2,231; male 1,817) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

17.08 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

5.35 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black African, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian

Infant mortality rate

17.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

30,000 by occupation: commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)

Languages

English (official), local dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.4 years male: 71.32 years female: 75.57 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling (1960) total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88%

Nationality

noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Net migration rate

-4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

65,176 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

0.68% (1995 est.)

Religions

Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Airports

total: 3 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 2

Highways

total: 240 km paved: NA unpaved: NA

Merchant marine

total: 304 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,188,113 GRT/1,651,190 DWT ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 216, chemical tanker 8, container 48, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 10, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11 note: a flag of convenience registry

Ports

Saint John's

Railroads

total: 77 km narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugar cane)