Antigua and Barbuda: Antilles state in the Eastern Caribbean

Created: 01/03/2022, 12:56 PM

Cruise ships in the port of Saint John's © Dennis MacDonald / IMAGO

Antigua and Barbuda is one of the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean.

Nevertheless, great personalities from history such as Christopher Columbus or Admiral Nelson have landed here.

Today the state is a popular vacation paradise.

• Antigua and Barbuda

  is an East Caribbean Antilles state with a history steeped in history.

• Today the archipelago attracts numerous tourists from all over the world because of its coral reefs and picturesque beaches.

• Here, cricket

  enjoys absolute cult status as the most popular sport.

Saint John’s

- The face of the 442 square kilometer archipelago of

is still strongly influenced by the British colonial era.

In addition to historical buildings from the 18th century, there are still some sugar cane mills scattered across the islands.

The Antilles state in the Eastern Caribbean is a popular travel destination for tourists and has made it into the

with several records

.

Antigua and Barbuda: Prehistory to the discovery by Columbus

As early as 10,000 BC,

Indians from the Siboney tribe

settled in

, who were largely displaced from the Orinoco region by the Arawak Indians by the year 1200. Later the Caribs from

the archipelago. In 1493 a new - initially dark - era began for the island paradise.

landed in Antigua. The islanders were sent by the Spaniards to slave labor in the Spanish colonies. Most of the Indians died as a result of hard work and serious illnesses. The archipelago was hotly contested by the Spanish, French and British after 1500. A permanent settlement or occupation was initially unsuccessful. Instead, many pirates took advantage of it

as a retreat.

Antigua and Barbuda: The British are on the rise

In 1628 Barbuda became British property.

Four years later, Antigua was also colonized by British settlers.

More settlers arrived from

by the middle of the 17th century and quickly settled here.

In addition to the cultivation of tobacco, sugar cane plantations were also established, although these were mainly managed by African slaves.

In 1784

a British naval base on Antigua.

The storm-proof port even became the headquarters of the fleet stationed in the Antilles.

The English fleet finally managed to drive away the pirates.

With the abolition of

in 1834, plantation management also came to an end.

Restructuring measures were necessary for a new economic upswing.

In 1860, the island of Barbuda - which was owned by the Codrington family for a long time - was united with Antigua to form a colony.

Antigua and Barbuda: The Road to Independence

From 1940 began

an independence movement

under the leadership of

.

With success:

got its own parliament six years later.

In 1956, the Antilles state received the status of an independent colony.

In 1967 the islands joined the group of the "West Indies Associated States", which gave them full domestic political autonomy.

In 1968 the company was accepted into the “Caribbean Free Trade Association” (CARIFTA).

Four years later the sugar cane industry was completely stopped.

And on November 1, 1981, the islands gained

their final independence from

under the New Name

.

Antigua and Barbuda: The Political System

The Antilles state is a

belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations

.

The structure of the political system is based on the British model.

The

monarch

is the head of state and is represented by a governor-general.

Government power itself is exercised by a prime minister, who in turn represents the majority of the MPs in the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives itself consists of two chambers, one of which is provided by the

.

The members of the Senate are in turn appointed by the Governor General.

In contrast to Great Britain,

a written constitution.

Antigua and Barbuda: Facts at a Glance

• Capital: Saint John's

• Official language: English

• Area: 442 square kilometers (Antigua: 281 square kilometers; Barbuda: 161 square kilometers)

• Population: 97,000 (as of 2019)

• Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

• Administrative division: 6 administrative districts (Parishes), 2 secondary areas (Dependencies Barbuda and Redonda)

• Religion: 76.5% Christians (of which 68.3% Protestants and 8.2% Catholics)

Antigua and Barbuda: Languages ​​and Population

The official language of

is English and a Creole language based on it.

Due to its colonial history, the population consists of 87.3 percent (as of 2011) people of African descent.

The other ethnic groups (such as Hispanics or whites), on the other hand, only make up a small percentage.

Most of the residents live in Antigua.

The neighboring island of Barbuda has just 1,600 residents.

The island of

, on the other hand, is completely uninhabited.

In the last 50 years, there has been a rather low natural growth in population development.

Infant mortality is four times as high as in Germany.

The emigration balance is limited.

Antigua and Barbuda: Geography and Communities

Antigua and Barbuda

is one of the so-called "Leeward Islands". This name is derived from the prevailing northeast trade wind, which ensures a humid climate. The archipelago is located between the

and the

. Geologically, the main island has mainly limestone formations and the growth of hard corals. Therefore, the area is also very popular with diving tourists. The highest point on the island is

,

402 meters high

- the remainder of a volcanic crater in southwest Antigua. The coastlines of the two main islands feature a number of beaches, lagoons and picturesque bays.

The area includes the island of Antigua with the capital

as the main island.

In addition to Barbuda and the uninhabited rocky island of Redonda, there are other smaller islands, such as Long Island, Guiana Island and Green Island, which are still over a kilometer in length.

The administrative districts and residents of

at a glance

• Saint George: 7,976 inhabitants;

  24.1 km²

• Saint John: 51,129 inhabitants;

  73.8 km²

• Saint Mary: 7,331 inhabitants;

  57.0 km²

• Saint Paul: 8,116 inhabitants;

  47.9 km²

• Saint Peter: 5,317 inhabitants;

  32.9 km²

• Saint Phillip: 3,322 inhabitants;

  44.0 km²

• Barbuda: 1,625 inhabitants;

  160.6 km²

• Rebonda: 0 inhabitants;

  1.3 km²

• Antigua and Barbuda:

  84,816 inhabitants;

  441.6 km²

A not insignificant aspect is the island's transport system.

Although there is no railway network, the transport of sugar cane is still guaranteed via a 77-kilometer narrow-gauge network.

The main burden is on road traffic.

In 2013 almost 30,000 motor vehicles were registered.

There are no highways.

Some bus routes regulate overland traffic.

The international airport is located in the northeast of Antigua.

Antigua and Barbuda: trivia about the country

Antigua and Barbuda made it into the

in 2006 with two special features

. The Antilles state not only has the lowest suicide rate, it is also considered the country that is most willing to marry. The island nation's zest for life is expressed above all in the country's most popular sport:

. The batball game for two opposing teams is widespread in the Commonwealth and is considered a national sport. Together with other Caribbean countries,

form the "West Indies Cricket Team", which is highly regarded in international cricket.

Tourism is one of the foundations of

today

. Around 245,000 visitors come to the island nation from all over the world every year. Above all, the beautiful beaches - there are said to be around 365 - are the tourist magnets of the two main islands. The place

- where the harbor base Nelson's Dockyard founded by Admiral Nelson in the 18th century is - is now a popular destination for yachts. But cruise ships also anchor here and bring day tourists to the island.

Today, numerous artefacts from the indigenous peoples and the colonial times are exhibited in the

National Museum of

, which tell the story of the island nation.

a lot to offer in

culinary terms

.

Above all, South Sea fruits thrive here in abundance, such as pineapples, bananas, guavas, coconuts, mangoes, noni and papaya.

Two local specialties in particular are very popular: namely the

(a dumpling made from sweet potatoes that is cooked in banana leaves) and the

(a porridge made from cornmeal, which is often served with a stew made from vegetables and meat).

Fish dishes are also at the top of the menu here.