Antigua and Barbuda Facts

Antigua and Barbuda Facts and History

North America

Antigua and Barbuda – islands between the Caribbean and the Atlantic

The two islands lie between the North Atlantic and the Caribbean and, together with the uninhabited island of Redonda, form an independent island state. In 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered the islands on his way west to India.

That is why these Caribbean islands were given the name West Indies.

The sub-term Antilles comes from “Ante illium”, Latin for the islands off Central America. A distinction must be made between the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, etc.) and the Lesser Antilles such as Trinidad and Tobago or Antigua and Barbuda.

The group of the Lesser Antilles is still divided into the Antilles below the leeward and above the wind, i.e. in islands outside and inside the Caribbean cyclone area. The latter include Antigua and Barbuda.

It should be pointed out that the 3 to 4 m long idol snake (Boa constrictor) occurs on the island of Antigua. Even if the snake is non-toxic, it has teeth that are more effective than a large dog.

In addition, a snake around 3 m long can strangle a person – children in particular are of course at risk.

Hurricane Irma destroyed over 90% of the houses on Barbuda around September 8th. It had left a swath of devastation and made the island almost uninhabitable for its 1,800 residents.

Name of the country Antigua and Barbuda
Form of government Constitutional monarchy in the Commonweal
Geographical location The island nation is located southeast of Puerto Rico, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean.
National anthem Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee!
Population approx. 95,000 residents (Credit: Countryaah: Antigua and Barbuda Population)
Ethnicities Descendants of West Africans 91%Descendants of English settlers, mulattos, Asians, etc. 9%
Religions Roman Catholic Christianity 11%,Adventists 9%, Methodists 9%, Moravian Brothers 12%, Anglicans 32% and others
Languages English and a Creole dialect
Capital Saint John’s
Surface 442.00 kmĀ²
Highest mountain Boggy Peak with a height of 405 meters
Largest lake Potsworks Dam Lake
International license plate AG
National currency East Caribbean dollar
Time difference to CET – 6 h
International phone code +1268
Mains voltage, frequency 230 volts and 60 hertz
Internet TLD (Top Level Domain) .ag

Antigua and Barbuda: History

Before the 15th century

Before the discovery of the islands by the Europeans, the Aruak Indian tribe settled the islands. They lived mainly as hunters and gatherers.

Discovery in 1493 to settlement in 1628

According to Abbreviationfinder website, Christopher Columbus discovered Antigua in 1493.

The conquistadors took the Indians living on the islands to their mines in Hispaniola and other colonies. Many of them died there of overwork or introduced diseases. The archipelago was economically of no interest to the Spanish crown. Only pirates used the islands as hiding places. 150 years passed before a British settlement was first established on Barbuda in 1628, and four years later the same happened on Antigua. The settlers first grew tobacco. Cane sugar plantations were built later.

Piracy and the colonial era until the abolition of slavery in 1834

In 1680 the Codrington family bought the islands for the equivalent of a slaughtered pig annually. The first English colonists from Saint Kitts and Nevis arrived in 1632.

From 1663 colonists from motherland England also began to arrive in Saint John’s.

In the 18th century the city became the headquarters for the part of the Royal Fleet stationed in the Antilles because the port was storm-proof. In this context, the last pirates also disappeared.

1834 until independence in 1981

The British government abolished slavery in its colonial empire between 1834 and 1838. As a result, the plantation economy on the islands of the Caribbean got into considerable difficulties and agriculture had to be restructured. A powerful tourism industry emerged after the Second World War. On November 1, 1981, Antigua and Barbuda became independent from Great Britain. In the same year, Saint John’s became the capital of the newly formed independent state of Antigua and Barbuda.

Antigua and Barbuda Facts