Antigua and Barbuda
Encyclopedia : A : AN : ANT : Antigua and Barbuda
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| ''National Anthem: Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee | |||||
| Royal anthem: God Save the Queen'' | |||||
| National motto: Each Endeavouring, All Achieving | |||||
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| Official language | English | ||||
| Capital - Population: | Saint John's 24,226 (2000) | ||||
| Monarch of Antigua and Barbuda>Head of State | Elizabeth II, Queen represented by Sir James Carlisle, Governor General | ||||
| List of Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda>Head of Government | Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister | ||||
| Area - Total: - % water: | Ranked 198th 442 km² 171 mi² Negligible | ||||
| Population - Total: - Population density>Density | List of countries by population>Ranked 197th 81,479 (2005) 152/km² 394/mi² | ||||
| Independence | UK November 1, 1981 | ||||
| National Day | 1 November (Independence Day) | ||||
| Religions | Anglican 44%; Moravians (religion)>Moravian; Roman Catholic | ||||
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 1 United States Dollar | ||||
| Time Zone | UTC -4 | ||||
| National Anthem | Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee | ||||
| Top-level domain>Internet TLD | .ag | ||||
| List of country calling codes>Calling Code | 1-268 | ||||
History
Main article: History of Antigua and BarbudaPre-ceramic Amerindians were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 BC. Later Arawak and Carib Amerindian tribes populated the islands. The island of Antigua was originally named Wadadli by the natives. Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493 and gave the island the name Antigua. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667 by transporting Irish Catholic slaves to Antigua. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834.
The islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981, and Vere Bird became the first prime minister.
Politics
- More information on politics and government of Antigua and Barbuda can be found at the Politics and government of Antigua and Barbuda series.
Government
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 represemted 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.Administrative divisions
Main article: Parishes and dependencies of Antigua and BarbudaThe island of Antigua is divided into six parishes:-
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The island of Barbuda and the uninhabited island of Redonda each enjoy dependency status.
Geography
- Main article: Geography of Antigua and Barbuda
Economy
Main article: Economy of Antigua and BarbudaTourism 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
Main article: Demographics of Antigua and BarbudaMost of the population are descendants of the slaves that used to work in the sugar plantations, but there are also groups of Europeans, notably Irish, British and Portuguese. While the official language is English, most of the locals speak patois, a form of Creole English.
Almost all Antiguans are Christians, with the Anglican Church (about 44%) being the largest denomination.
Culture
Sport
Cricket is very popular in Antigua and Barbuda, along with most Commonwealth nations. The 2007 Cricket World Cup will be hosted in the West Indies from 11 March to 28 April 2007. Antigua hopes to host some matches at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which is still under construction, and will hold 20,000 people at full capacity.Cuisine
The national dish is fungi(pronounced foon-gee) and pepper pot. Fungi is a dish very similar to the Italian Polenta being made mainly of cornmeal. Other local dishes include: Ducana, Season Rice, Saltfish and Lobster (from barbuda), to name a few. There are also local confectionary 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 (eg. Jerk Pork), Guyana (eg. Roti) and other caribbean countries. Chinese restaurants have also began to become more main stream. The supermarkets also sell a wide variety of food, from American to Itlaian. Meals also vary depending on social class.
- A typical breakfast in Antigua might include cereal or a sandwich and tea/chocolate milk.
- Lunch might be anything that can be easily bought from a near by shop. Especially a bakery.
- Dinner is definitely the most varied as it differs depending on taste, social class and education on nutrition. But it will typically include a starch, like rice/macaroni/pasta, vegetables/salad, an entre(Fish, Chicken, Pork, Beef etc.) and a side dish like macaroni pie, scalopped potatoes or plantains. Local drinks are morby, seamoss, tamarind juice, raspberry juice, mango juice, lemonade, coconut milk etc. Adults favor beers and rums many of which are made locally.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda is a member of the Caribbean Community, United Nations, World Trade Organization, Commonwealth of Nations, Organization of American States, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System.
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Antigua and Barbuda
- * Music of Antigua and Barbuda
- Military of Antigua and Barbuda
- Transportation in Antigua and Barbuda
- Antigua and Barbuda Branch of The Scout Association
See also
- Caribbean Community
- Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
- 2007 Cricket World Cup
- Commonwealth of Nations
- Lesser Antilles
- List of sovereign states
References
- CIA World Factbook entry on [Antigua and Barbuda]
External links
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- [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 great photo galleries.
| Countries in the Caribbean |
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| Independent nations: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dependencies: -British: Anguilla | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Montserrat | Turks and Caicos Islands | -Dutch: Aruba & Netherlands Antilles | -French: Guadeloupe & Martinique | -U.S.: Navassa Island | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| |
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|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti¹ | Jamaica | Montserrat² | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | |
| ¹ member of the community but not the CARICOM (Caribbean) Single Market and Economy. ² territory of the United Kingdom just awaiting British instruments of entrustment to join the (CSME) | |
[[zh-min-nan:Antigua kap Barbuda]]
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