Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda (/ænˈtiːɡ(w)ə ...bɑːrˈb(j)uːdə/ (listen)
; an-TEE-g(w)ə ... Barb-YOO-də) is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the Americas, lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major islands, Antigua and Barbuda separated by around 40 km (25 mi), and smaller islands (including Great Bird, Green, Guiana, Long, Maiden, Prickly Pear, York Islands, Redonda). The permanent population number is about 97,120 (2019 est.), with 97% residing on Antigua.[2] The capital and largest port and city is St. John's on Antigua, with Codrington being the largest town on Barbuda. Lying near each other, Antigua and Barbuda are in the middle of the Leeward Islands, part of the Lesser Antilles, roughly at 17°N of the equator.
The island of Antigua was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named for the Church of Santa María La Antigua.[6] Antigua was colonized by Britain in 1632; Barbuda island was first colonised in 1678.[6] Having been part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871, Antigua and Barbuda joined the West Indies Federation in 1958.[7] With the breakup of the federation, it became one of the West Indies Associated States in 1967.[8] Following self-governance in its internal affairs, independence was granted from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Commonwealth and Elizabeth II is the country's queen and head of state.[9]
The economy of Antigua and Barbuda is particularly dependent on tourism, which accounts for 80% of GDP. Like other island nations, Antigua and Barbuda is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, and increased intensity of extreme weather like hurricanes, which have direct impacts on the island through coastal erosion, water scarcity, and other challenges.[10] As of 2019, Antigua and Barbuda has a 0% individual income tax rate,[11] as does neighboring St. Kitts and Nevis.
Antigua is Spanish for 'ancient' and barbuda is Spanish for 'bearded'.[2] The island of Antigua was originally called Wadadli by Arawaks and is locally known by that name today; Caribs possibly called Barbuda Wa'omoni. Christopher Columbus, while sailing by in 1493 may have named it Santa Maria la Antigua, after an icon in the Spanish Seville Cathedral. The "bearded" of Barbuda is thought to refer either to the male inhabitants of the island, or the bearded fig trees present there.
Antigua was first settled by archaic age hunter-gatherer Amerindians called the Ciboney.[2][12][13] Carbon dating has established the earliest settlements started around 3100 BC.[14] They were succeeded by the ceramic age pre-Columbian Arawak-speaking Saladoid people who migrated from the lower Orinoco River.[citation needed] They introduced agriculture, raising, among other crops, the famous Antigua black pineapple (Ananas comosus), corn, sweet potatoes, chiles, guava, tobacco, and cotton.[15] Later on the more bellicose Caribs also settled the island, possibly by force.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to sight the islands in 1493.[12][13] The Spanish did not colonise Antigua until after a combination of European and African diseases, malnutrition, and slavery eventually extirpated most of the native population; smallpox was probably the greatest killer.[16]
