Located in the West Indies. Consists of three islands (km2): Antigua (280), Barbuda (160) and Redonda (1.6). The total territory is 441.6 km2, the population is 68.9 thousand people. (2002 estimate). The official language is English. The capital is St. John’s (23.5 thousand people, est. 2001). National holiday – Independence Day November 1 (since 1981). The monetary unit is the East Caribbean dollar.
Member of the UN and its specialized organizations, the Commonwealth of Nations, OAS, CARICOM, observer at the Non-Aligned Movement, etc.
Geography of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is located between 16°56 and 17°38 N and 61°48 and 62°19 W. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Caribbean Sea in the west. The length of the coastline is 153 km. In the northeast of Antigua there is a lowland composed of coral limestones, in the center there is a plain, in the southwest there are hills of volcanic origin, the highest point is Boggy Peak (403 m). Earthquakes rarely happen. Barbuda is of coral origin, the surface is flat, the highest point is the Highlands (36 m). Redonda is of volcanic origin, up to 350 m high. The islands have 365 sandy beaches, most on the island of Barbuda. The climate is tropical, dry. The average temperature in January-February is +24°С, in August-September +30°С. The annual amount of precipitation in Antigua ranges from 1070 to 1140 mm, on the island of Barbuda – from 760 to 990 mm. Fallout less than 500 mm, which happens once every 5-10 years, leads to drought. Tropical hurricanes are frequent from July to October. Surface water in the form of small streams only in Antigua. Woody vegetation covers 90 thousand hectares, forests are preserved mainly on the island of Barbuda, occupying 20.5% of the total area of the country. The main territory is covered with sparse shrub vegetation and hard, dry-loving grasses. The soils are red-brown, lateritic. With the general poverty of the animal world, Antigua and Barbuda is distinguished by a variety of birds, the number of species of which reaches 170. forests have been preserved mainly on the island of Barbuda, occupying 20.5% of the total area of the country. The main territory is covered with sparse shrub vegetation and hard, dry-loving grasses. The soils are red-brown, lateritic. With the general poverty of the animal world, Antigua and Barbuda is distinguished by a variety of birds, the number of species of which reaches 170. forests have been preserved mainly on the island of Barbuda, occupying 20.5% of the total area of the country. The main territory is covered with sparse shrub vegetation and hard, dry-loving grasses. The soils are red-brown, lateritic. With the general poverty of the animal world, Antigua and Barbuda is distinguished by a variety of birds, the number of species of which reaches 170.
Population of Antigua and Barbuda
According to Countryaah, the main part of the population is concentrated in Antigua, on the island of Barbuda – less than 2 thousand people, Redonda is uninhabited. Natural population growth (2002 estimate) was 1.3%, birth rate 18.8%, death rate 5.8%. Child mortality – 21.6 people. per 1000 newborns. Life expectancy 71 years, incl. women 73.5, men 68.7. There are 100 women for every 99 men. Age structure: 0-14 years old – 28%, 15-64 years old – 67.3%, 65 years and older – 4.7%. The share of the urban population is 37.1%. The adult literacy rate is 95%. 89% of the inhabitants are descendants of African slaves, the stratum of mulattos is insignificant. Whites are represented by people from Great Britain, Portugal, Syria and Lebanon. In 1995, after the volcanic eruption on Montserrat, 3 thousand people moved from it to Antigua and Barbuda. The inhabitants of the two islands feel like representatives of different nations.
Religiously, Anglicans (72%) and Moravian Brethren prevail, Catholics – 12%.
History of Antigua and Barbuda
The first settlements of the Indians appeared in 2.4 thousand years BC. In the 12th century AD The Arawaks were driven out by the Caribbean tribes. The islands were discovered by H. Columbus in 1493. The first colony of English settlers from the island of St. Kitts was established in Antigua in 1632, and in 1680 the British settled the island of Barbuda. From the 1680s In connection with the cultivation of sugar cane, the importation of slaves from Africa began. In 1784, Nelson founded the largest British naval base in the Caribbean in Antigua, which existed until 1891. In 1871–1956, Antigua and Barbuda were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands, whose administrative center was St. West Indies Federation. In 1967 they received internal self-government and the status of a state “associated with Great Britain”, independence was proclaimed on November 1, 1981. In 1992, mass popular demonstrations and strikes forced the then Prime Minister V. Byrd to make a statement about his resignation after the next parliamentary elections, which was taken by his son, L.B. Bird.
