Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation in the Caribbean. It is known for its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and vibrant culture.
Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation in the Caribbean. It is known for its beautiful beaches, historic sites, and vibrant culture.
The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but the Arawaks populated the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, which provided labor on the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda, devastating the island and forcing the evacuation of the population to Antigua. Almost all of the structures on Barbuda were destroyed and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.
Caribbean, islands in the Lesser Antilles, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
17 03 N, 61 48 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 280 sq km
land: 280 sq km
water: 0 sq km
mean elevation: 56 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Obama 402 m
tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some volcanic hills; highest point is Mount Obama at 402 m
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt
agricultural land: 20.5% (2023 est.)
arable land: 9.1% (2023 est.)
permanent crops: 2.3% (2023 est.)
permanent pasture: 9.1% (2023 est.)
forest: 18% (2023 est.)
other: 61.5% (2023 est.)
total: 103,769 (2025 est.)
male: 48,816
female: 54,953
comparison rankings: total 194; male 196; female 191
African descent 87.3%, mixed 4.7%, Hispanic 2.7%, White 1.6%, other 2.7%, unspecified 0.9% (2011 est.)
note: data represent population by ethnic group
English (official), Antiguan Creole
Protestant 75.6% (Anglican 17.6%, Pentecostal 17.2%, Seventh-day Adventist 12.3%, Methodist 8.4%, Moravian 7.3%, Baptist 5.1%, Church of God 4.4%, other Protestant 3.3%), Roman Catholic 13.3%, other 1.3%, none 9.8% (2011 est.)
0-14 years: 20.21% (male 10,752/female 10,165)
15-24 years: 15.94% (male 8,465/female 8,098)
25-54 years: 40.16% (male 21,153/female 20,348)
55-64 years: 12.12% (male 6,398/female 6,763)
65 years and over: 11.57% (male 5,048/female 6,012) (2025 est.)
conventional long form: Antigua and Barbuda
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
local long form: Antigua and Barbuda
local short form: Antigua and Barbuda
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
name: St. John's
geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 50 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: none
6 parishes (Antigua): Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip; 2 dependencies (Barbuda and Redonda)
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations