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