Antigua and Barbuda

Airports

total: 3 usable: 3 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0

Highways

240 km

Merchant marine

149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 529,202 GRT/778,506 DWT; includes 96 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 21 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 2 oil tanker, 19 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 (FY90/91)

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

Currency

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 (1992)

Exchange rates

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

Exports

$32 million (f.o.b., 1991) 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

Imports

$317.5 million (c.i.f., 1991) 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 5% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.5% (1991 est.)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $424 million (1991 est.)

National product per capita

$6,600 (1991 est.)

National product real growth rate

1.4% (1991 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 has been hurt in 1991-92 by a downturn in tourism caused by the Persian Gulf war and the US recession.

Unemployment rate

5% (1988 est.)

Area

total area: 440 km2 land area: 440 km2 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

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA km2

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

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

Location

in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm 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

Capital

Saint John's

Constitution

1 November 1981

Digraph

AC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS chancery: Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225 consulate: Miami

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 Lester BIRD (since NA)

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

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

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 Noel THOMAS

Political parties and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and, in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant J. SALTER embassy: Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's mailing address: FPO AA 34054-0001 telephone: (809) 462-3505 or 3506 FAX: (809) 462-3516

Birth rate

17.51 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black African, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian

Infant mortality rate

19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 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: 72.83 years male: 70.81 years female: 74.95 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over having completed 5 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

-6.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

64,406 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

0.51% (1993 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

1.67 children born/woman (1993 est.)