115-3208 8th Ave NE
Calgary AB, T2A 7V8
Tele: 403-248-6641

Background:
The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a 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.

Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 442.6 sq km
(Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline: 153 km
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Geography - note: Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor

People
Population: 68,722 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27.9% (male 9,767/female 9,427)
15-64 years: 68% (male 23,466/female 23,250)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,085/female 1,727) (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.57% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 17.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.9 years
male: 69.53 years
female: 74.38 years (2005 est.)