National Trade Data Bank ITEM ID : ST BNOTES ANTIGUA DATE : Oct 28, 1994 AGENCY : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROGRAM : BACKGROUND NOTES TITLE : Background Notes - ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Source key : ST Program key : ST BNOTES Update sched. : Occasionally Data type : TEXT End year : 1993 Date of record : 19941018 Keywords 3 : Keywords 3 : | ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA BACKGROUND NOTES: Antigua and Barbuda PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS US DEPARTMENT OF STATE January 1993 Official Name: Antigua and Barbuda PROFILE Geography Area: Antigua--281 sq. km. (108 sq. mi.); Barbuda--161 sq. km. (62 sq. mi.). Cities: Capital--St. Johns (pop. 30,000). Terrain: Generally low-lying, with highest elevation 1,330 ft. Climate: Tropical maritime. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s). Population (1991 est.): Antigua 62,600; Barbuda 1,300. Annual growth rate: 1%. Ethnic groups: Almost entirely of African origin; some of British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin. Religions: Principally Anglican, with evangelical Protestant and Roman Catholic minorities. Language: English (official), local dialects. Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--about 90%. Health: Life expectancy--70 yrs. Infant mortality rate--20/1,000. Work force: 32,000. Government Type: Constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament. Constitution: 1981. Independence: November 1, 1981. Branches: Executive--governor general (representing Queen Elizabeth II, head of state), prime minister (head of government), and cabinet. Legislative--a 17-member Senate appointed by the governor general (mainly on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition) and a 17-member popularly elected House of Representatives. Judicial--Court of Appeal, chief justice, five justices. Administrative subdivisions: Six parishes and two dependencies (Barbuda and Redonda). Political parties: Antigua Labor Party (ruling), United National Democratic Party, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement. Suffrage: Universal at 18. Flag: An oblong sectioned into two red triangles, with one black triangle at center. Within the black triangle is a smaller triangle of white, topped by a bright blue band from which erupts a one-half gold sunburst. Economy GDP (1991 at market prices): $411 million. Annual growth rate (1991): 2.6%. Per capita GDP: $600. Natural resources: Negligible. Agriculture (4% of GDP): Products--cotton, livestock, vegetables. Industry: Types--tourism 40%, transport 12%, construction 8.6%, manufacturing 2.9%. Trade: Exports (1991 est.)--$32 million. Major markets--CARICOM, US. Major trading partners--CARICOM, UK. Imports--$353 million. Official exchange rate: Eastern Caribbean $2.70=US$1. PEOPLE Inhabited first by the Siboney ("stone people"), whose settlements date at least to 2400 BC, Antigua was host to the Arawak people between 35 and 1100 AD. The Arawak originally inhabited Venezuela and gradually migrated up the chain of islands now called the Lesser Antilles. The warlike Carib people drove out the Arawak from strongholds on neighboring islands but apparently did not settle on either Antigua or Barbuda. Christopher Columbus landed on the islands in 1493, naming the larger one "Santa Maria de la Antigua." The English successfully colonized in 1632. Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar estate in Antigua in 1674 and leased Barbuda to raise provisions for his plantations. Barbuda's only village is named for him. Codrington and others brought slaves from Africa's west coast to work the plantations. Antiguan slaves were emancipated in 1834 but remained bound to their plantation owners. Economic opportunities for the new freemen were limited by a lack of surplus farming land, no access to credit, and an economy built on agriculture rather than manufacturing. Poor labor conditions persisted until 1939, when a member of a Royal Commission urged the formation of a trade union movement. The Antigua Trades and Labor Union, formed shortly afterward, became the political vehicle for Vere Cornwall Bird, who became the union's president in 1943. The Antigua Labour Party (ALP), formed by Bird and other trade unionists, first ran candidates in the 1946 elections, beginning a long history of electoral victories. Voted out of office in the 1971 general elections that swept the Progressive Labor Movement into power, Bird and the ALP returned to office in 1976. Prime Minister Bird's ALP government has led the country since and won renewed mandates in the general elections in 1984 and 1989. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS As head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II is represented in Antigua and Barbuda by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the House, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. Antigua and Barbuda has a bicameral legislature: a 17-member Upper House or Senate appointed by the governor general (mainly on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition) and a 17-member popularly elected House of Representatives. The prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the parliament, which has a normal life of 5 years. Antiguans have enjoyed a long history of free and fair elections with peaceful changes of government. In the March 1989 elections, the ruling Antigua Labor Party won all but two of the 17 seats. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association. Like its neighbors in the English-speaking Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda has an outstanding human rights record. Its judicial system is modeled on British practice and procedure and its jurisprudence on English Common Law. Principal Government Officials Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II Governor General--Sir Wilfred Ebenezer Jacobs Prime Minister and Minister of Defense--Vere Cornwall Bird, Sr. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development, External Affairs, Tourism, and Energy--Lester Bird Ambassador to the US and the OAS--Patrick Albert Lewis Ambassador to the United Nations--Lionel A. Hurst Antigua and Barbuda maintain an embassy in the United States in the INTELSAT Building, 3400 International Dr. NW., Suite 4M, Washington, DC 20008-3098 (tel. 202-362-5122). ECONOMY Sugar cultivation was Antigua and Barbuda's major export earner until 1960, when prices fell dramatically and crippled the industry. By 1972, the industry was largely dismantled. The agricultural pattern in Antigua has shifted to a multiple cropping system. Fruit and vegetable production predominates, but the Antiguan Government has encouraged investment in livestock, cotton, and export-oriented food crops. Currently, the economy is based on services rather than manufacturing. Tourism is the backbone of the economy, and the major source of visitors is the United States. Tourism, the principal source of foreign exchange for the country, directly contributes about 17% of the gross domestic product and indirectly at least 40%. Antigua and Barbuda have more than 3,300 hotel rooms to accommodate tourists. For the most part, the environment for private sector investment and business activity in Antigua is excellent. The government encourages both domestic and foreign private investment. Government policies provide liberal tax holidays, duty-free import of equipment and materials, and subsidies for training provided to local personnel. Private business also benefits from a stable political environment, good transportation to and from the island, a relatively low-cost work force, and a pleasant climate. The country also has a reasonably sound infrastructure. Non-traditional exports have grown in importance in recent years. Foreign investors, lured by Antigua's good transportation connections to North America and Europe, have set up light manufacturing industries on the island, primarily in the finished textile and electronic component assembly sectors. Antigua and Barbuda are beneficiaries of the US Caribbean Basin Initiative. They are also members of the 12-nation Caribbean Economic Community and Common Market, which has signed a framework agreement with the United States to promote trade and investment under the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative. FOREIGN RELATIONS Antigua maintains diplomatic relations with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and China, as well as with many Latin American countries, and neighboring Eastern Caribbean states. It is a member of the Commonwealth, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the Caribbean Regional Security System, and the Caribbean Common Market. US-ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA RELATIONS Since Antigua's independence in 1981, US relations with the island nation have been very friendly. In 1979, the US Government established a consulate in Antigua which was upgraded to an embassy in 1981 upon Antigua's independence. Antigua affords US citizens the same legal protections that its own citizens enjoy. It is visited by more than 170,000 tourists from the United States and elsewhere each year and has become increasingly popular with US retirees. The United States seeks to help Antigua develop economically and to help strengthen its democratic political system. Antigua and Barbuda is strategically placed in the Leeward Islands, near maritime transport lanes of major importance to the United States. Antigua has long hosted a US military presence. Currently, a US air force tracking facility and a naval training facility provide useful services for the United States, as well as jobs and income for Antiguans. Antigua also benefits from a number of regional USAID (Agency for International Development) programs. Principal US Official Charge--Bryant Salter The US embassy in Antigua is located on Queen Elizabeth Highway, St. John's (tel. 809-462-3505). Travel Notes Entry requirements: A US passport and visa are not required for US citizens to enter Antigua and Barbuda as temporary visitors for periods up to 6 months, but the Department of State recommends that US citizens always carry a valid passport as proof of citizenship. Antigua immigration authorities require some proof of citizenship upon entry; for example, a birth certificate and a valid driver's license with photo. They also will require a return ticket or proof of onward travel. Published by the United States Department of State -- Bureau of Public Affairs -- Office of Public Communication -- Washington, DC -- January 1993 -- Editor: Jo Brooks Department of State Publication 9439 Background Notes Series -- This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without permission; citation of this source is appreciated. For sale by the Superindendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington , DC 20402.