Countries
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Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center
Military branches: Ministry of National Security, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (includes Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 21,141
females age 16-49: 24,056
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,676
females age 16-49: 19,960
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 806
female: 799
Military expenditures: 0.5% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 161
Airports: 3
country comparison to the world: 196
Roadways: total: 1,165 km
country comparison to the world: 181
Merchant marine: total: 1,257
country comparison to the world: 9
by type: bulk carrier 49, cargo 753, carrier 6, chemical tanker 4, container 407, liquefied gas 12, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 17, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 1,215 (Albania 1, Colombia 1, Denmark 20, Estonia 10, Germany 1094, Greece 4, Iceland 10, Latvia 16, Lithuania 3, Mexico 1, Netherlands 17, Norway 9, NZ 2, Poland 2, Russia 3, Switzerland 7, Turkey 7, UK 1, US 7)
Ports and terminals: Saint John's
Telephones - main lines in use: 35,500
country comparison to the world: 174
Telephones - mobile cellular: 162,800
country comparison to the world: 182
Telephone system: general assessment: good automatic telephone system
domestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 40 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is some 180 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-268; landing points for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network (GCN) submarine cable systems with links to other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands) and Guadeloupe (France)
Broadcast media: state-controlled Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service (ABS) operates 1 TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; ABS operates 1 radio station; roughly 15 radio stations, some broadcasting on multiple frequencies
Internet country code: .ag
Internet hosts: 11,844
country comparison to the world: 130
Internet users: 65,000
country comparison to the world: 171
Tourism continues to dominate Antigua and Barbuda's economy, accounting for nearly 60% of GDP and 40% of investment. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on tourist arrivals from the US, Canada, and Europe and potential damages from natural disasters. After taking office in 2004, the SPENCER government adopted an ambitious fiscal reform program and was successful in reducing its public debt-to-GDP ratio from 120% to about 90% in 2008. However, the global financial crisis that began in 2008, has led to a significant increase in the national debt, which topped 130% at the end of 2010. The Antiguan economy experienced solid growth from 2003 to 2007, reaching over 12% in 2006 driven by a construction boom in hotels and housing associated with the Cricket World Cup, but growth dropped off in 2008 with the end of the boom. In 2009, Antigua''s economy was severely hit by the global economic crisis, suffering from the collapse of its largest financial institution and a steep decline in tourism. This decline continued in 2010 as the country struggled with a yawning budget deficit but returned to positive growth in 2011.
Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government and a Commonwealth realm
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Legal system: common law based on the English model
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9%
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Religions: Protestant 76.4% (Anglican 25.7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 12.3%, Pentecostal 10.6%, Moravian 10.5%, Methodist 7.9%, Baptist 4.9%, Church of God 4.5%), Roman Catholic 10.4%, other Christian 5.4%, other 2%, none or unspecified 5.8%
Population: 89,018
country comparison to the world: 197
Median age: total: 30.6 years
male: 28.9 years
female: 32 years
Population growth rate: 1.276%
country comparison to the world: 91
Net migration rate: 2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 35
Urbanization: urban population: 30% of total population
rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: SAINT JOHN'S (capital) 27,000
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.69 years
country comparison to the world: 85
male: 73.66 years
female: 77.83 years
Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 124
Health expenditures: 5.1% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 138
Education expenditures: 2.7% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 142
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 85.8%
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 19.9%
country comparison to the world: 59
male: 18.4%
female: 21.6%
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 153 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use: arable land: 18.18%, permanent crops: 4.55%, other: 77.27%
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: water management - a major concern because of limited natural freshwater resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor
The Siboney were the first people to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early Spanish and French settlements were succeeded by an English colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
Antigua And Barbuda
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