Antigua and Barbuda

Airports

3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 1,220 m

Civil air

11 major transport aircraft

Highways

240 km

Merchant marine

105 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,891 GRT/552,475 DWT; includes 71 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 12 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large load carrier, 1 oil tanker, 12 chemical tanker, 2 bulk; note - a flag of convenience registry

Ports

Saint John's

Railroads

64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane

Telecommunications

good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY91)

Manpower availability

NA

Agriculture

accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues $92.8 million; expenditures $101 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (plural - dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

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

Electricity

52,100 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,482 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

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

Exports

$33.2 million (f.o.b., 1990) 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

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $418 million, per capita $6,500 (1989); real growth rate 4.2% (1990 est.)

Imports

$325.9 million (c.i.f., 1990) 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 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 3% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (1990 est.)

Overview

The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important determinant of economic performance. During the period 1987-90, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 6%. Tourism makes a direct contribution to GDP of about 13% and also affects growth in other sectors - particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities. Although Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy, it was hurt in 1991 by a downturn in tourism caused by the Persian Gulf war and the US recession.

Unemployment rate

5.0% (1988 est.)

Climate

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

153 km

Comparative area

slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Disputes

none

Environment

subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural harbors

Land area

440 km2; includes Redonda

Land boundaries

none

Land use

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

Maritime claims

Contiguous zone: 24 nm Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Note

420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Terrain

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

Total area

440 km2

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

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS; Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate in Miami US: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and, in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant SALTER; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's (mailing address is FPO AA 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506; FAX (809) 462-3516

Elections

House of Representatives: last held 9 March 1989 (next to be held NA 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) ALP 15, UPP 1, independent 1

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet

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

Independence

1 November 1981 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November 1981, previously Governor since 1976) Head of Government: Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Long-form name

none

Member of

ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 November (1981)

Other political or pressure groups

United Progressive Party (UPP), 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), the UPP is led by Baldwin SPENCER; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS

Political parties and leaders

Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD; United Progressive Party (UPP), Baldwin SPENCER

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

parliamentary democracy

Birth rate

18 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

almost entirely of black African origin; some of British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin

Infant mortality rate

20 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

30,000; commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)

Languages

English (official), local dialects

Life expectancy at birth

71 years male, 75 years female (1992)

Literacy

89% (male 90%, female 88%) age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)

Nationality

noun - Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s); adjective - Antiguan, Barbudan

Net migration rate

--8 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members; Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)

Population

64,110 (July 1992), growth rate 0.4% (1992)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.7 children born/woman (1992)