::Antigua and Barbuda
Background:
The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
Geography ::Antigua and Barbuda
Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates:
17 03 N, 61 48 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) country comparison to the world: 199 land: 442.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
153 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources:
NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use:
arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other: 77.27% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.005 cu km/yr (60%/20%/20%)
per capita: 63 cu m/yr (1990)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor
People ::Antigua and Barbuda
Population:
86,754 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 197
Age structure:
0–14 years: 26.8% (male 11,660/female 11,303)
15–64 years: 66.6% (male 26,597/female 30,414)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,456/female 3,202) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 30 years
male: 28.5 years
female: 31.4 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.3% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Birth rate:
16.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 126
Death rate:
5.77 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 173
Net migration rate:
2.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Urbanization:
urban population: 30% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
