Located in the West Indies, Antigua & Barbuda is an island nation
in the Caribbean, with a population of less than 100,000.00. A
rapidly developing island economy with a per capita GDP of
$18,416, Antigua & Barbuda enjoys warm tropical climates with mild
rainfall and moderate temperatures.
The capital is Saint Johns. Antigua & Barbuda runs on UTC -4 Time,
and the currency is East Caribbean Dollar (XCD). Citizens are
referred to as either Antiguan(s) or Barbudan(s). Most Antiguans
are of African lineage, descendants of slaves brought to the
island centuries ago to labor in the sugarcane fields. However,
Antigua’s history of habitation extends as far back as two and a
half millenia before Christ. By the end of the eighteenth century
Antigua had become an important strategic port as well as a
valuable commercial colony. The rise of a strong labour movement
in the 1940s, under the leadership of V.C. Bird, provided the
impetus for independence. In 1967, with Barbuda and the tiny
island of Redonda as dependencies, Antigua became an associated
state of the Commonwealth, and in 1981 it achieved full
independent status.