3 GeoFroggy

Country Name

Conventional long form: none

Conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

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)

National Holiday

Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)

Constitution

1 November 1981

Legal System

based on English common law

International Law Organization Participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)

Head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative Branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)

Elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13

Judicial Branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice

Political Parties and Leaders

Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

Flag Description

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

National Anthem

Year

Government Type

  • Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government

Capital

  • Name
    Saint John's
  • Geographic Coordinates
    17 07 N, 61 51 W
  • Time Difference
    UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL
  • Chancery
    3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 362-5122
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 362-5225
  • Consulate(s) General
    Miami

Diplomatic Representation from the US

    The US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda

International Organization Participation

  • ACP
  • C
  • Caricom
  • CDB
  • FAO
  • G-77
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICCt
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • ISO (subscriber)
  • ITU
  • ITUC
  • MIGA
  • NAM
  • OAS
  • OECS
  • OPANAL
  • OPCW
  • UN
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UPU
  • WCL
  • WFTU
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO