What are the Key Facts of Antigua and Barbuda?

Where is ‘Antigua and Barbuda’?

‘Antigua and Barbuda’ is located in the Caribbean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico. These islands are located between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its position in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean helps in separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.

What is the Geography of Antigua and Barbuda?

‘Antigua and Barbuda’ is a sovereign country in the West Indies consisting of two main islands (Antigua and Barbuda) along with many smaller islands including the island of Redonda, York Islands, Maiden, Long, Guiana, Green, and Great Bird. Around 97% of the total population lives in Antigua island because of the damage created by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

This country is spread across a total area of 440 sq.km (170 sq. mi), which is entirely a land area and no water area. While Antigua is spread over 280 sq.km (108 sq. mi), Barbuda is spread over a total area of 161 sq.km (62 sq. mi). 1.6 sq.km (0.6 sq. mi) of Redonda is also included in the total area of the country.
There is no land boundary of Antigua and Barbuda. However, it has a 153 km (95 mi) long coastline. In comparison to the similar islands in the vicinity, the landforms of both ‘Antigua and Barbuda’ islands predominantly include low-lying limestone formations. Mount Obama at 402 m (1,319 ft) is the highest elevation point of the country that is situated in the hilly region of southwestern Antigua. The lowest elevation point in this country is the Caribbean Sea at 0 m (0 ft).

A highland plateau is located on the eastern edge of Barbuda, which is the highest elevation point of this island at 44.5 m (146 ft). Reefs and sandbars ring both the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, small lagoons, beaches, and natural harbors indent the sandbars and reefs. Except for a few streams, there are no major rivers in the country. Codrington Bay natural lagoon is the major landform in the Barbuda Island that is located on its western side’s coastline.

A tropical climate is prevalent in Antigua and Barbuda, which is characterized by a hot and humid climate throughout the year. While it remains relatively cool and dry during January-to-mid-April, hot, humid, and rainy prevails from mid-June to mid-November.

The tropical winds, known as the northeast trade winds, constantly blow during the cold and dry season. However, they become irregular during hot and rainy seasons. Two transitional periods are there between these two seasons. The first one starts in mid-November and continues till early June. During this first phase, the weather gets better, and temperature decreases because of the blowing of the northeast winds. The frequency of heavy rainfall as well as the temperature starts increasing gradually from mid-April and continues till mid-June.

During January-February, the average daily temperature revolves around 25 °C (77 °F). However, during June-to-September, the average daily temperature goes up to around 28 °C (82.5 °F).

During January-April, the sea temperature revolves around 26 °C (79 °F). In September, the seawater gets warmer, and the average temperature remains around 29 °C (84 °F). December to April is the best time to visit Antigua and Barbuda.

What is the Economy of ‘Antigua and Barbuda’?

The economy of ‘Antigua and Barbuda’ is dependent on tourism. Tourism accounts for around 60% of the GDP as well as 40% of the investment. Financial services and investment banking are also important aspects of the growing economy. It grew by 4.9% in 2018 to reach a nominal GDP of US$1,624 million.

The main export items of Antigua and Barbuda are passenger/cargo ships, semi-finished iron, recreational boats, hot-rolled iron bars, refined petroleum, and many more. The major import items of the country include cars, poultry meat, recreational boats, refined oil, passenger/cargo ships, etc.

While the primary export destinations are the USA, UK, Cameroon, Poland, and Spain, the core countries from which it imports goods are the USA, China, Spain, the UK, Poland, etc. In 2017, the value of export was US$248 million, and the amount of import was US$782 million, thereby resulting in a negative balance of trade of US$534 million.

The country’s “Labour Force Survey” in 2015 shows that the unemployment rate was 14.1%, since its last census in 2011, the unemployment rate has increased by 4% from 10.1%. Despite a large amount of wealth generated by tourism, the poverty rate is uncannily high at 22%.

What is the Transportation System of Antigua and Barbuda?

‘Antigua and Barbuda’ has 1,170 km (727 mi) long roadways, out of which 386 km (240 mi) is paved, and 784 km (487 mi) is unpaved. There are three airports in the country, out of which two have paved runways, and 1 has unpaved runways. The main seaport is Saint John’s.

What International Organizations is ‘Antigua and Barbuda’ part of?

UN, WTO, ILO, IMF, ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, NAM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ICC (NGOs), ITUC (NGOs)