Antigua and Barbuda Information Guide & Facts

 Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua (pronounced An-tee'ga) and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin.
Size: Antigua, the largest of the British Leeward Islands, is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108 square miles. Its highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), located in the southwestern corner of the island. Barbuda, a flat coral island with an area of only 68 square miles, lies approximately 30 miles due north. The nation also includes the tiny (0.6 square mile) uninhabited island of Redonda, now a nature preserve. The current population for the nation is approximately 68,000 and its capital is St. John's on Antigua.
Climate:Temperatures generally range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall averages only 45 inches, making it the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands, and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September. Low humidity year-round.

Population: 75,000 (Census 2001 Estimates) including about 1,200 Montserratians living in Antigua. Barbuda’s population of 1,400 live mostly in or near the town of Codrington. Population growth rate: 0.74% (2001 estimate).
Capital City: St John’s City, with an estimated population (2001) of 24,000. This is the main commercial centre of Antigua and has the largest harbour, capable of berthing five ships.
Languages: English
Religion(s): Predominantly Anglican, but also Moravian, Methodist and Roman Catholic
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Country dialling code: 1 268.

History and Culture

The first settlements on Antigua date from about 2400 BC, and were composed of the Siboney (an Arawak word meaning ‘stone-people’), peripatetic Meso-Indians whose shell and stone tools have been found at dozens of sites around the island. Antigua was later settled by the pastoral, agricultural Arawaks (35-1100 AD), who were then displaced by the Caribs, an aggressive people who ranged all over the Caribbean. The earliest European contact with the island was made by Christopher Columbus during his second Caribbean voyage (1493), who sighted the island in passing and named it after Santa Maria la Antigua, the miracle-working saint of Seville. European settlement, however, did not occur for over a century, largely because of Antigua's dearth of fresh water and abundance of determined Carib resistance.Finally, in 1632, a group of Englishmen from St. Kitts established a successful settlement. Sir Christopher Codrington arrived in Antigua in 1684. He had come to Antigua to find out if the island would support the sort of large-scale sugar cultivation that already flourished elsewhere in the Caribbean. His initial efforts proved to be quite successful, and over the next fifty years sugar cultivation on Antigua exploded.By the middle of the 18th century the island was dotted with more than 150 cane-processing windmills, each the focal point of a sizeable plantation.

By the end of the eighteenth century Antigua had become an important strategic port as well as a commercial colony. Known as the ‘gateway to the Caribbean’, it was situated in a position that offered control over the major sailing routes to and from the region's rich island colonies. Horatio Nelson arrived in 1784 at the head of the Squadron of the Leeward Islands to develop the British naval facilities at English Harbour and to enforce stringent commercial shipping laws. It was during King William IV’s reign, in 1834, that Britain abolished slavery in its empire. Antigua instituted immediate full emancipation rather than a four-year ‘apprenticeship’ as in the other British Caribbean colonies. Emancipation actually improved the island's economy, but the sugar industry of the British islands was already beginning to wane. Until the development of tourism in the past few decades, Antiguans struggled for prosperity. The rise of a strong labour movement in the 1940s, under the leadership of V.C. Bird, provided the impetus for independence. In 1967, with Barbuda and the tiny island of Redonda as dependencies, Antigua became an associated state of the Commonwealth, and in 1981 it became independent as a unitary state, despite a strong campaign for independence by the inhabitants of Barbuda. V.C. Bird is now deceased; his son, the Hon. Lester B. Bird, was elected to succeed him as Prime Minister in l994.

Activities and Entertainment

Boating: Sailing has been a central part of Antigua's culture for centuries. Today, the stately Georgian architecture of Nelson's Dockyard hosts a more pleasure-seeking fleet--the international  racing boats, recreational yachts, and classic sailboats of Antigua's annual Sailing Week.
Cricket: Antiguans are more than a little devoted to cricket. The island has historically been a very strong contributor to West Indian and international cricket, and the Antigua Recreation Ground is one of the finest places in the Caribbean to take in a local, regional, or international match.
Tennis: Although more recently established than its sailing counterpart, Antigua's annual Tennis Week draws an impressive field of international competitors to the island in May of each year.
Diving and Snorkeling: Antigua & Barbuda has hundreds of wrecks to explore and good shelf diving.
Dolphin Fantaseas: One of Antigua's most exciting and thrilling activities is Dolphin Fantaseas, swim with the dolphins program. This once in a lifetime adventure gives participants the opportunity to experience up close and personal playtime with dolphins.
Adventure Antigua - Eli’s Eco Tour: Take the opportunity to explore the wild side of Antigua and Barbuda. Mangrove swamps, bird watching and reef snorkeling are available on-island.
Windsurfing: Dickenson Bay is the center of all windsurfing activity on Antigua. In January and July, the annual Windsurfing Antigua events are held there.
Hiking and Birdwatching: Most of the popular hikes lead to one or another of the island's many hilltop fortifications: Fort George sits atop Monk's Hill, and Fort Barrington (captured by the French in 1666) is on the promontory at Deep Bay. The Historical and Archaeological Society frequently arranges group hikes.
Golfing: There are two golf courses on the Antigua: an 18-hole, 70-par course at the Cedar Valley Golf Club and another at Jolly Harbour. The K-Club on Barbuda also has its own 9-hole course.
Fishing and Hunting: Sportfishing, bonefish in Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon, hunting of deer, boar, various gamefowl on Barbuda. Licenses and gun permits must be obtained in Codrington Village. The Antigua and Barbuda Annual Sport Fishing Tournament is held in May of each year.

Transportation

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

Highways:
total: 1,165 km
paved: 384 km
unpaved: 781 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Saint John's

Merchant marine:
total: 681 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,070,390 GRT/5,289,904 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 424, chemical tanker 10, combination bulk 4, container 176, liquefied gas 4, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 29
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Germany 4, Slovenia 2 (2000 est.)

Airports: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Media

The press
Antigua Sun - published twice a week
Daily Observer - leading daily
The Herald - daily
The Nation's Voice - weekly
National Informer - weekly
The Outlet - weekly, published by the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (founder member of the United Progressive Party)
The Worker's Voice - official mouthpiece of the Antigua Labour Party and Antigua Trades and Labour Union, published twice a week

Television
ABS Television - run by Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS)

Radio
ABS Radio - subsidiary of Antigua Broadcasting Service
Caribbean Radio Lighthouse - Baptist-run religious station
Radio ZDK - commercial
Sun FM Radio - commercial

Social Profile

Food & Drink: Casual wear is accepted in all bars and restaurants. There are no licensing restrictions, but excessive consumption of alcohol is frowned upon and further service will be refused. Antigua’s gastronomic speciality is lobster, with red snapper and occasionally other fish running a close second when available. Local specialities include barbecued free-range chicken, roast suckling pig, pilaffs, curries, mushrooms and saltfish.
Imported wines and spirits are available as well as imported sodas and local fruit drinks. Local drinks include ice-cold fruit juice, coconut milk, Antiguan-produced dark and light rums (Cavalier), rum punches, and beer from Antigua (Wadadli), Barbados (Banks) and Jamaica (Red Stripe). There is an 8.5 per cent government tax on most restaurant bills.

Nightlife: There is a wide choice of restaurants and bars around main tourist areas. Steel bands, combos and limbo dancers travel around hotels, performing nightly during the high season (November to April). There are five casinos on the island and two nightclubs/discotheques. Some hotels have their own discotheques.

Shopping: Uniquely Antiguan purchases include straw goods, pottery, batik and silk-screen printed fabrics, and jewellery incorporating semi-precious Antiguan stones. English bone china and crystal and French perfumes, watches and table linens are all available at very attractive prices. Heritage Quay Complex is a shopping and entertainment complex with 40 duty-free shops, a theatre, restaurants and a casino and supper club. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1300-1700, although some shops and chemists do not close for lunch; some shops close at noon on Thursday.

Special Events: For a full list of special events, contact the Antigua Department of Tourism or the Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office. The following is a selection of events celebrated annually in Antigua and Barbuda: Apr Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. Apr/May International Sailing Week (sailing regatta including yacht-racing, the sunfish regatta and gala beach parties). Jul/Aug Mid-Summer Carnival (ten-day festival). Oct/Nov Heritage Day; National Warri Festival (Antigua’s national board game).

Social Conventions: Dress is informal unless formal dress is specifically requested. It is not acceptable to wear scanty clothing or beachwear in towns or villages. Relatives and good friends generally embrace. Friends tend to drop by unannounced, but an invitation is necessary for acquaintances or business associates. Although gifts will generally be well received, they are normally only given on celebratory occasions. Flowers are appropriate for dinner parties; bring a bottle only when specifically requested. Smoking is accepted in most public places.

Tipping: Ten per cent is included on hotel bills for staff gratuities, plus an 8.5 per cent government tax. Taxi drivers expect ten per cent of the fare, and dockside and airport porters expect US$0.50-1.00 per bag.