Capital: St. John's
Official Language: English
Status: Independent 1 November 1981
Area: 442 square Km, 170 square Mi
Population: 90,156 (2013)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar
Motto: Each Endeavouring All Achieving
The Island of 365 beaches
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands (including Great Bird, Green, Guinea, Long, Maiden and York Islands and further south, the island of Redonda). The country is nicknamed “Land of 365 Beaches” due to the many beaches surrounding the islands. Its governance, language, and culture have all been strongly influenced by the British Empire, of which the country was formerly a part. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
Minister of Public Utilities, Civil Aviation, Transport and Energy
Government Office Complex
Queen Elizabeth Highway,
St John’s
Tel: (268) 480-7119; (268) 480-7000
Email: yearwoodr@apua.ag
Secretary – rhonisgore@apua.ag
Permanent Secretary
Tel: (268) 468 8506
Email: edson.joseph@ab.gov.ag
The islands are located in the Eastern Caribbean at the southern end of the Leeward Islands, 40 km (25 Mi) northeast of Montserrat.
Columbus landed on Antigua in 1493 and named the island after the church of Santa Maria de la Antigua in Seville, Spain. It was colonised by the English in 1632 and apart from a brief French occupation in 1667, remained British until becoming an `Associated State’ in 1967. The islands attained full independence on 1 November, 1981.
In the late 18th century, the islands served as the major naval dockyard for the British fleet in the Eastern Caribbean.
Tourism is the main national income earner. Dry climate and a large number of white sand beaches play an important role in the growing cargo and cruise passenger traffic.
The services sector has steadily grown to become an area of significant economic activity.
Agriculture, fishing and a growing manufacturing sector are also contributing to national economic development.
VC Bird International (Antigua) Codrington (Barbuda)
Commercial: 8:00 am to 12:00 noon: 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Monday to Saturday. Closed on Thursday afternoons.
Government: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
New Year’s Day 1 Jan; Good Friday; Easter Monday Labour Day, first Monday in May; Whit Monday, first Monday in June; Carnival, first Monday and Tuesday of August; Independence Day 1 November; Vere Cornwall Bird Snr. Day, December 9; Christmas Day, December 25; Boxing Day, December 26. Holidays that fall on a Sunday are observed the following Monday.
Aquamarine – The sea
Yellow – Rich land resources
Black – Unity and force
Triangular shape – Determination of the people