Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda
Coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Each Endeavouring, All Achieving"
Anthem: Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee
Capital	Saint John's 17°7′N 61°51′W
Largest city	capital
Official languages	English
Government	Federal constitutional monarchy
- Head of State	Elizabeth II
- Governor-General	Louise Lake-Tack
- Prime Minister	Baldwin Spencer
Independence	from the United Kingdom
- Date	November 1, 1981
Area
- Total	442 km² (198th) 171 sq mi
- Water (%)	negligible
Population
- 2005 estimate	82,786
- Density	184/km² 394/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	US$875.8 million
- Per capita	US$12,586
HDI  (2004)	0.808 (high)
Currency	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
- Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Internet TLD	.ag
Calling code	+268

Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. This country has two major islands: Antigua and Barbuda. They are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago with the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago to the south, Montserrat to the southwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis to the west and Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin and Anguilla to the northwest.

Geography

Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda make up a three-island nation located in the eastern arc of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, 692 kilometers (430 miles) off the coast of Venezuela. It is roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. Its neighbors are Montserrat (U.K.) and Guadeloupe (Fr.) to the south, Saint Kitts and Nevis to the west, and Anguilla (U.K.) to the northwest. Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands with an area of 280 square kilometers (108 square miles). It is about two-thirds the size of New York City, or seven eights the area of Inner London. About 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Antigua lies Barbuda, with an area of 161 square kilometers (62 square miles). And 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Antigua lies Redonda, the smallest of the three islands, with an area of 1.6 square kilometers (0.6 square miles). The capital of Antigua and Barbuda is St. John's located at St. John's Harbour on the northwest coast of Antigua. The principal city of Barbuda is Codrington located in Codrington Lagoon. Redonda is inhabited.

Antigua's shoreline has many bays and harbours. Barbuda has one very large harbour on the west side of the island. The coastline of Antigua and Barbuda is 153 kilometers (95 miles) long. The highest point in the nation is Boggy Peak, at 402 meters (1,319 feet). Antigua and Barbuda are low islands whose landscape is composed of limestone and coral with some volcanic formations and tropical vegetation. They have been worn mostly flat by the wind and rain. The island' white-sand beaches are famous. Redonda, on the other hand, is barren and rocky.

The climate is warm and tropical. It is tempered by sea breezes and the trade winds. There is little variation in temperature throughout the year. The average temperature ranges between 27 and 33 degrees Celsius (81 and 93 defrees Fahrenheit). Rainfall is very light. Both islands lack adequate amounts of fresh groundwater. Hurricanes and tropical storms strike the island between July and October, and sometimes these storms cause damaging floods.

Antigua and Berbuda were largely deforested when the trees were cut down to make room for sugarcane plantations. The national plant is the West Indian dagger log. The national bird is the frigate, which grows as large as 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) with a wingspan of up to 2.4 meters (8 feet). The national animal is the fallow deer, which now lives only in Antigua and Barbuda. The national sea creature is the hawksbill turtle. Barbuda has the largest bird habitat in the Caribbean with more than 170 different species. Antigua has one of the most rarest snakes in the world, the Antigua Racer Snake.

History

The history of Antigua and Barbuda can be separated into three distinct eras. In the first, the islands were inhabited by three successive Amerindian societies. The islands were neglected by the first wave of European colonisation, but were settled by England in 1632. Under British control, the islands witnessed an influx of both Britons and African slaves. In 1981, the islands were granted independence as the modern state of Antigua and Barbuda.

Native People

The earliest known inhabitants of Antigua were the Siboney, (Guanahuatebey). It means "Stone People" in Arawak. The Siboney arrived about 2400 B.C.E.. They lived throughout the Caribbean, subsisting on shellfish and fish. Little is known about them, but artifacts such as jewelry and tools of stone and shell have been found at different places in the islands. The Siboney were succeeded by the Arawak (also called Taino and Lucayan), who arrived from Venezuela during the early decades of the first century. They had agricultural skills. They cultivated cotton, indigo, sweet potatoes, beans, corn and pineapple. In the twelfth century, the more aggressive Caribs, for whom the Caribbean Sea is named, supplanted the Arawak. The Caribs used Antigua only as a supply base. Both the Arawaks and the Caribs were skilled boat-builders.

European colonization

Christopher Columbus landed on the islands in 1493, naming the larger one Santa Maria de la Antigua. However, early attempts by Europeans to settle the islands failed due to the Caribs' excellent defenses.^{[citation needed]} England succeeded in colonising the islands in 1632, with Thomas Warner as the first governor. Settlers raised tobacco, indigo, ginger, and sugarcane as cash crops. Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar estate in Antigua in 1674, and leased Barbuda to raise provisions for his plantations. Barbuda's only town is named after him. In the fifty years after Codrington established his initial plantation, the sugar industry became so profitable that many farmers replaced other crops with sugar, making it the economic backbone of the islands. Codrington and others brought slaves from Africa's west coast to work the plantations. The brutal treatment endured by the slaves prompted a planned rebellion in the early 18th century, masterminded by a slave nicknamed Prince Klaas, whose real name was Count. Before they could carry it out, their plan was discovered, and those involved were executed in torturous methods commonly used by the British at the time.

During the 18th century, Antigua was used as the headquarters of the British Royal Navy Caribbean fleet. English Dockyard, as it came to be called, a sheltered and well-protected deepwater port, was the main base and facilities there were greatly expanded during the later 18th century. Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson commanded the British fleet for much of this time, and made himself unpopular with local merchants by enforcing the Navigation Act, a British ruling that only British-registered ships could trade with British colonies. As the United States were no longer British colonies, the act posed a problem for merchants, who depended on trade with the fledgling country.

Political development

With all others in the British Empire, Antiguan slaves were emancipated in 1834, but remained economically dependent upon the plantation owners. Economic opportunities for the new freedmen were limited by a lack of surplus farming land, no access to credit, and an economy built on agriculture rather than manufacturing. Poor labour conditions persisted until 1939 when a member of a royal commission urged the formation of a trade union movement.

The Antigua Trades and Labour Union, formed shortly afterward, became the political vehicle for Vere Cornwall Bird who became the union's president in 1943. The Antigua Labour Party (ALP), formed by Bird and other trade unionists, first ran candidates in the 1946 elections and became the majority party in 1951 beginning a long history of electoral victories.

Voted out of office in the 1971 general elections that swept the progressive labour movement into power, Bird and the ALP returned to office in 1976.

Independent Antigua and Barbuda

The islands achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1981, becoming the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. It remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations, and remains a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Antigua and Barbuda.

The ALP won renewed mandates in the general elections in 1984 and 1989. In the 1989 elections, the ruling ALP won all but two of the 17 seats. During elections in March 1994, power passed from Vere Bird to his son, Lester Bird, but remained within the ALP which won 11 of the 17 parliamentary seats. The United Progressive Party won the 2004 elections and Baldwin Spencer became Prime Minister, removing from power the longest-serving elected government in the Caribbean.

Government and Politics

Vere Cornwall Bird, Antigua and Barbuda's first Prime Minister, is accredited to have brought Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean into a new era of independence.

The politics of Antigua and Barbuda takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. A Governor-General is appointed by the Queen (or other reigning monarch). Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament. The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (seventeen-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (seventeen seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms). The last elections held were on 23 March 2004 for the House of Representatives; the next are due in 2009. The Antigua Labour Party won four seats, while the United Progressive Party won thirteen.

Since 1949 the party system had been dominated by the personalist Antigua Labour Party. However the Antigua and Barbuda legislative election, 2004, saw the defeat of the longest-serving elected government in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister, Lester Bird, had been in office since 1994, when he succeeded his father, Vere Bird. The elder Bird had been Prime Minister from independence in 1981, and before independence had been Chief Minister of Antigua from 1960, except for the period 1971-76.

Structure

The Head of State is the Queen, who is represented by the Governor-General. A Council of Ministers is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. The Judicial Branch is the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction). Antigua is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice. The Supreme Court of Appeal was the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, up until 2001, when the nations of the Caribbean Community voted to abolish the right of appeal to the Privy Council in favour of a Caribbean Court of Justice. Some debate between member countries had repeatedly delayed the court's date of inauguration. As of March, 2005, only Barbados was set to replace the process of appeals of Her Majesty in Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice which then had come into operation.

Foreign relations

Antigua and Barbuda maintains diplomatic relations with the United States, Canada the United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China, as well as with many Latin American countries and neighboring Eastern Caribbean states. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System (RSS).

As a member of CARICOM, Antigua and Barbuda supported efforts by the United States to implement UN Security Council Resolution 940, designed to facilitate the departure of Haiti's de facto authorities from power. The country agreed to contribute personnel to the multinational force which restored the democratically elected government of Haiti in October 1994.

In May 1997, Prime Minister Bird joined 14 other Caribbean leaders and President Clinton for the first-ever U.S.-regional summit in Bridgetown, Barbados. The summit strengthened the basis for regional cooperation on justice and counter-narcotics issues, finance and development, and trade.

Antigua and Barbuda is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98).

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as a drug-money-laundering center.

Military

The Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force is the armed force of Antigua and Barbuda. The RABDF consists of four major units:

• 1st Battalion, Antigua and Barbuda Regiment - this is the infantry unit and fighting arm of the defence force.
• Service and Support Unit - established in 1997, this provides administrative, logistic and engineer support to the rest of the defence force.
• Coast Guard - this is the maritime element of the defence force, and is divided into four units:
  • Commanding Officer's office
  • Engineer Unit
  • Administration Unit
  • Flotilla - the flotilla is the operational part of the Coast Guard, and consists of four vessels.
• Antigua and Barbuda Cadet Corps

The RABDF has responsibility for several different roles: Internal security, prevention of drug smuggling, the protection and support of fishing rights, prevention of marine pollution, search and rescue, ceremonial duties, assistance to government programs, provision of relief during natural disasters, assistance in the maintenance of essential services and support of the police in maintaining law and order.

The RABDF is one of the world's smallest militaries, consisting of 170 people. It is thus much better equipped for fulfilling its civil roles as opposed to providing a deterrance against would-be aggressors or in defending the nation during a war.

Economy

Tourism dominates its economy, accounting for more than half of its GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labour shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction work.

Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialised world, especially in the United States, which accounts for about one-third of all tourist arrivals.

Demographics

St. John's Cathedral

The majority of the population is comprised of people of African or mixed African and European (predominately British) ancestry. There is a minority of people of Portuguese and mixed Portuguese and African ancestry, due to Portuguese indentured servants brought to the West Indies after the abolition of slavery. The remainder of the population is comprised of Europeans, notably Irish and British, and Christian Levantine Arabs (primarily of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian descent). There is also a small population of Sephardic Jews.

An increasingly large percent of the population live abroad, most notably in the United States, Canada, and England. A minority of the Antiguan residents are immigrants from other countries, particularly Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica. There is also a significant population of American citizens estimated at 4500 people which would make it one of the largest American citizen populations in the English speaking Eastern Caribbean. [1]

Almost all Antiguans are Christians (97%[2]), with the Anglican Church (about 44%) being the largest denomination. Catholicism is the other significant denomination, with the remainder being other Protestants: including Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals and Seventh-Day Adventists. Non-Christian religions practiced on the islands include Rastafari, Islam, Judaism, and Baha'i.

18.4% of people living in Antigua and Barbuda live below the poverty line. [3]

Language

The official language of Antigua and Barbuda is English, but many of the locals speak Antiguan Creole. The Barbudan accent is slightly different from the Antiguan one. Spanish is also widely spoken in certain communities in Antigua where immigrants from the Dominican Republic make up large numbers.[4]

In the years before Antigua and Barbuda's independence, Standard English was widely spoken in preference to Antiguan Creole, but afterwards Antiguans began treating Antiguan Creole as a respectable aspect of their culture. Generally, the upper and middle classes shun Antiguan Creole. The educational system dissuades use of Antiguan Creole and instruction is done in Standard (British) English. The higher up one goes on the socio economic ladder, the less prevalent Antiguan Creole becomes, to the extent that some Antiguans will even deny that they speak or understand Antiguan Creole

Many of the words used in the Antiguan dialect are derived from English and also African origins. The dialect was formed when en-slaved Africans owned by English planters imitated the 18th century English spoken by their masters; utilizing traditional African language structures they created an African English hybrid or pidgin. This can be easily seen in some phrases like: "Me nah go" meaning "I am not going". Another example is: "Ent it?" meaning "Ain't it?" which is in itself dialect and means "Isn't it?". Common island proverbs often can be traced to Africa.

Education

The people of Antigua & Barbuda have a high level of education with over 90% of the people being literate. In 1998, Antigua adopted a national mandate to become the preeminent provider of medical services in the Caribbean. As part of this mission, Antigua is building the most technologically advanced hospital in the Caribbean, the Mt. St. John Medical Centre. The island of Antigua currently has two medical schools: American University of Antigua College of Medicine (AUA)[5], founded in 2004 and The University of Health Sciences Antigua (UHSA)[6], founded in 1982.

There is also a government owned state college in Antigua as well as the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Information Technology (ABIIT). The University of the West Indies has a branch in Antigua for locals to continue University studies.

With the onset of the Internet, more Antiguans are completing online degrees.

Culture

An independent scientific study ranked Antiugua and Barbuda as the 16th happiest country in the world. The culture is predominantly British which is evident throughout many aspects of the society. American popular culture also has a heavy influence. Family and religion play an important role in the lives of Antiguans. There is a national Carnival celebration during the month of August each year: historically Carnival commemorates the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies. The annual Carnival includes pageants, shows, contests and festive activities, and is a notable tourist attraction.

Calypso and soca music are important in Antigua and Barbuda, and Burning Flames is a popular band.

Cuisine

The national dish is fungie (pronounced "foon-jee") and pepper pot. Fungie is a dish very similar to the Italian Polenta, and is almost completely made from cornmeal. Other local dishes include ducana, season rice, Saltfish and lobster (from Barbuda). There are also local confectionaries which include: sugarcake, fudge, raspberry and tamarind stew and peanut brittle.

Although these foods are indigenous to Antigua and Barbuda and to some other Caribbean countries, the local diet has diversified and now include the local dishes of Jamaica (e.g. jerk pork), Guyana (e.g. Roti) and other Caribbean countries. Chinese restaurants have also begun to become more mainstream. The supermarkets sell a wide variety of food, from American to Italian. Meals also vary depending on social class.

Lunches here typically include a starch, like rice/macaroni/pasta, vegetables/salad, an entree (fish, chicken, pork, beef etc.) and a side dish like macaroni pie, scalloped potatoes or plantains. Local drinks are mauby, seamoss, tamarind juice, raspberry juice, mango juice, lemonade, coconut milk, hibiscus juice, ginger beer, passion fruit juice, guava juice etc. Adults favor beers and rums, many of which are made locally, including Wadadli beer (named after the original name of the island).

Sunday is the main day most go to church in the country and is the day when the culture is mostly reflected in the food. For breakfast one might have saltfish, eggplant (aka troba), eggs and lettuce.

Dinner on Sundays is eaten earlier (around 2:00 pm) because parents are usually off from work and can stay home and cook. It may include pork, baked chicken, stewed lamb, or turkey, alongside rice (prepared in a variety of ways), macaroni pie, salads, and a local drink. Dessert may be ice cream and cake or an apple pie (mango and pineapple pie in their season) or Jello.

Media

There are two daily newspapers: Daily Observer, and Antigua Sun which also publishes newspapers on other Caribbean islands. Most American television networks are available in addition to the local television stations. There are several local and regional radio stations.

Sport

File:Cricket ground.jpg

Cricket ground in St. John, Antigua.

Cricket is very popular in Antigua and Barbuda, along with most Commonwealth nations. The 2007 Cricket World Cup was hosted in the West Indies from 11 March to 28 April 2007. Antigua hosted eight matches at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which was handed over by the Chinese Government on 11 February 2007, and holds 20,000 people at full capacity. Antigua is also the Host of 20/20 Cricket created by Allen Stanford in 2006 a regional cricket game with almost all caribbean islands taking part. Next 20/20 will be in November 07.

Football (soccer) is also a very popular sport. Antigua has a national football team, albeit inexperienced.

Athletics is also big in Antigua. Talented athletes identified in schools are trained from a young age and Antigua has produced one or two fairly adept athletes. Janill Williams, a young athlete with much promise hails from Gray's Farm, Antigua. Also, there is Sonia Williams and Heather Samuel who have represented Antigua at the Olympic Games. Others to watch are Brendan Christian (100 m, 200 m), Daniel Bailey (100 m, 200 m) and James Grayman (High Jump).

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• CIA World Factbook entry on Antigua and Barbuda

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Antigua and Barbuda

• The Official Website of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda
• Antigua & Barbuda, its Department of Tourism website
• Antigua and Barbuda, United States Library of Congress Portals on the World
• Governments on the WWW: Antigua and Barbuda
• The High Commission of Antigua and Barbuda. Tourism, business, history and culture, politics - an up to date website.
• Antigua Carnival - with photo galleries.
• American University of Antigua - a hospital integrated medical scool in Caribbean.
• Health Sciences library - Library of American University of Antigua

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