GeoFroggy

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Background

The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Barbuda devastating the island and forcing the evacuation of the population to Antigua. Almost all the structures on Barbuda were destroyed and the vegetation stripped, but Antigua was spared the worst.

Location

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Area Comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Maritime Claims

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate

Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Population Distribution

The island of Antigua is home to approximately 97% of the population; nearly the entire population of Barbuda lives in Codrington

Natural Hazards

Hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Environment Current Issues

Water management - a major concern because of limited natural freshwater resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly

Environment International Agreements

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

Geography Note

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

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Map Reference

Central America and the Caribbean

Irrigated Land 2012

1.3 sq km

Area 2019

Total

442.6 sq km
Land

442.6 sq km
Water

0 sq km

Coastline

153 km

Geographical Coordinates

17 03 N, 61 48 W

Land use 2019

Agricultural Land
20.5%
Agricultural Land Arable Land
9.1%
Agricultural Land Permanent Crops
2.3%
Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture
9.1%
Forest
22.3%
Other
57.3%

Terrain

Mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands
With some higher volcanic areas

Elevation

Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest Point: Mount Obama 402 m

Land Boundaries

0 km

Natural Resources

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Antigua and Barbuda