Region: Caribbean

Capital: St John's

Population: 68,320 (July 2004 est.)

Surface area: 442 sq km

Currency: EC dollar

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.)

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.

Economy – Overview:
Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. 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 income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals.

United Nations membership date: 11 November 1981

New York Mission:
Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations
610 Fifth Avenue, Suite 311
New York, N.Y. 10020 USA
Telephone: 212-541-4117
Fax: 212-757-1607

Website: http://www.un.int/antigua