239 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
239 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 440 km2; land area: 440 km2; includes Redonda
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Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 153 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
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Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some
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higher volcanic areas
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Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters
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tourism
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Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
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pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 59%
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Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to
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October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline
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provides many natural harbors
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Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico
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PEOPLE
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Population: 63,917 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 74 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Antiguan(s); adjective--Antiguan
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Ethnic divisions: almost entirely of black African origin; some of
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British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin
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Religion: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some
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Roman Catholic
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Language: English (official), local dialects
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Literacy: 89% (male 90%, female 88%) age 15 and over having
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completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)
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Labor force: 30,000; commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%,
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industry 7% (1983)
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Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association
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(ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000
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members; Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: parliamentary democracy
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Capital: Saint John's
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Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,
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Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter,
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Saint Philip
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Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1 November 1981
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Legal system: based on English common law
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National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
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Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime
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minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house
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or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
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Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
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represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1
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November 1981, previously Governor since 1976);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since
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NA 1976)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD;
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United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor HEATH
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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House of Representatives--last held 9 March 1989 (next to be
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held 1994);
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results--percentage of vote by party NA;
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seats--(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1
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Communists: negligible
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Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation
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Movement (ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim)
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HECTOR; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS
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Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM
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(observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE;
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Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008;
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telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan
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Consulate in Miami;
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US--the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and
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Barbuda, and in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires
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Bryant SALTER; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's
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(mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506
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Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge
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of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top),
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light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism
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the most important determinant of economic performance. During the period
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1983-89, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 7%.
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Tourism's contribution to GDP, as measured by value added tax in hotels
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and restaurants, rose from about 14% in 1983 to 16% in 1989, and
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stimulated growth in other sectors--particularly in construction,
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communications, and public utilities. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the
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few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors
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of the economy.
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GDP: $350 million, per capita $5,470 (1989); real growth rate 3.0%
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(1991 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)
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Budget: revenues $92.8 million; expenditures $101 million,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
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Exports: $33.2 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and
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live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17%;
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partners--OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago
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2%, US 0.3%
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Imports: $358.2 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--food and live animals, machinery and transport
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equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil;
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partners--US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
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External debt: $250 million (1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts
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for 9% of GDP
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Electricity: 52,000 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,490 kWh
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per capita (1990)
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Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
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alcohol, household appliances)
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Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton,
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fruits, vegetables, and livestock sector; other crops--bananas, coconuts,
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cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food
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Economic aid: US commitments, $10 million (1985-88); Western
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(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $45
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million
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Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar
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(EC$) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed
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rate since 1976)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter
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gauge used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane
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Highways: 240 km
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Ports: Saint John's
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Merchant marine: 86 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 319,477
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GRT/497,194 DWT; includes 61 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 6 container,
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4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large load carrier, 3
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petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker; note--a
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flag of convenience registry
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Civil air: 10 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 1,220 m
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Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700
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telephones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe;
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stations--4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
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1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua
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and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
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Manpower availability: NA
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Defense expenditures: $1.4 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91)
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