Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda gained independence from Britain in 1981 but remains a part of the British Commonwealth. About half of the country’s population is concentrated around the capital city.

The two islands of Antigua and Barbuda cover an area of 443 square kilometres, consisting mostly of low-lying costal areas with some volcanic mountain ranges. The climate is tropical and temperatures vary little from season to season. The islands are susceptible to hurricanes, particularly during the hurricane season from July to October and have experienced periodic droughts.

The capital city of Antigua and Barbuda is St. John’s. The two islands are divided into six parishes and two dependencies. The government is a constitutional monarchy headed by Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer who was elected in the last general elections held on March 12th 2009. Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State.

People
Human Development Index Ranking (out of 173)	52
Population (millions)	0.1
Population growth rate (%)	0.3
Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above)	86.6
Health
Life expectancy	73.9
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)	13
People living with HIV/AIDS (% adults 15-49)	---
Population using improved water sources (%)	91
Population using adequate sanitation facilities (%)	96
Economy
GDP (US$ billions)	0.7
Population living below national poverty line (%)	---

Source: United Nation Human Development Reports, Human Development Indicators 2002
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