Key Demographic Features of Antigua
and Barbuda*
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea
and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
People
Population: 65,647 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25% (male 8,386; female 8,043)
15-64 years: 69% (male 22,589; female 22,548)
65 years and over: 6% (male 1,820; female 2,261) (July
1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.76% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.2 deaths/1,000 live births
(1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.64 years
male: 71.55 years
female: 75.84 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese,
Syrian
Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant
sects, some Roman Catholic
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over has completed five or more
years of schooling (1960 est.)
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88%
Government
Country Abbreviation: AC
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Constitution: 1 November 1981
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), William ROBINSON;
People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Hugh MARSHALL
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211, 5166, 5122
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an
embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994);
the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and
Barbuda
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
Economic overview: Tourism continues to be by far the
dominant activity in the economy but the combined share in GDP
of transport and communications, trade, and public utilities has
increased markedly in recent years. Tourism's direct
contribution to output in 1994 was about 20%. In addition,
increased tourist arrivals helped spur growth in the
construction and transport sectors. The dual island nation's
agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic
market; the sector is constrained by the limited water supply
and labor shortages that reflect the pull of higher wages in
tourism and construction. Manufacturing - which accounts for
3.5% of GDP - comprises enclave-type assembly for export with
major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic
components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term
will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized
world, especially in the US, which accounts for about half of
all tourist arrivals.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $425 million (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 4.2% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita: $6,600 (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5%-10%(1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones: 6,700
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 2
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: 28,000 (1993 est.)
*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency
The World Factbook contains many additional demographic
variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to
examine a particular country in more depth. To access the
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