Antigua and Barbuda Map

Description: This map shows islands, airport, islands, parishes and dependencies, parish capital cities, major cities and towns in Antigua and Barbuda.

Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island country in the eastern Caribbean. It lies in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. It shares no land borders with any country, but is located southeast of Puerto Rico and north of Guadeloupe. The country is made up of two main inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and several smaller islands, including Redonda, Great Bird, Guiana and Long Island. The capital and largest city is St. John's, on Antigua.

The country covers about 440 square kilometres. Antigua is the larger and more populous island, with an area of about 281 square kilometres. Barbuda lies about 40 kilometres to the north and covers about 161 square kilometres. Its only settlement of significant size is the village of Codrington. Redonda is a small, uninhabited volcanic island southwest of Antigua.

Before Europeans arrived, the islands were settled by Archaic peoples and later by Arawak and Kalinago (Carib) groups. Christopher Columbus sighted Antigua in 1493 during his second voyage. He named it after the church of Santa María la Antigua in Seville. England established a colony on Antigua in 1632 and settled Barbuda in 1678. Barbuda was later leased to the Codrington family. During the colonial period, the economy depended on sugar plantations that used the labour of enslaved Africans. Slavery was abolished in 1834, when the British Empire's Slavery Abolition Act took effect.

Antigua and Barbuda became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967. It gained full independence on 1 November 1981, and Vere Cornwall Bird became its first prime minister.

The country is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. The British monarch is head of state and is represented locally by a governor-general. The prime minister is head of government. Parliament has two chambers: the Senate, whose members are appointed, and the House of Representatives, whose members are elected. Barbuda has a degree of local self-government through the Barbuda Council. The country belongs to the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma caused severe damage to Barbuda. Almost all of the island's buildings were damaged or destroyed, and the entire population was evacuated to Antigua.

Most of the islands are low-lying, and their terrain is largely formed of limestone and coral. Antigua's southwest is the exception, with hills of volcanic origin. The highest point is Mount Obama, at 402 metres, which was known as Boggy Peak until 2009. The climate is tropical maritime, with relatively low rainfall, and the country has few natural sources of fresh water. Much of its water supply comes from desalination. Barbuda's Codrington Lagoon is home to one of the largest colonies of magnificent frigatebirds in the region.

Tourism dominates the economy and accounts for most of the country's gross domestic product and employment. Other sectors include financial services, construction and small-scale agriculture and manufacturing. Since 2013, the government has run a citizenship by investment programme. The currency is the East Caribbean dollar, which is pegged to the United States dollar.

English and Spanish is the official languages, and Antiguan and Barbudan Creole is widely spoken. Most residents are of African descent, and Christianity is the main religion. Cricket is the most popular sport, and the country has produced several West Indies players, including Sir Vivian Richards. The Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites, known as Nelson's Dockyard, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.