The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

      84,522 (July 2008 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 27.2% (male 11,670/female 11,318) 15–64 years: 66.3% (male 26,138/female 29,859) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,408/female 3,129) (2008 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 29.5 years male: 28 years female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      1.305% (2008 est.)

      Birth rate:

      16.78 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Death rate:

      6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Net migration rate:

      2.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 17.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 74.25 years male: 72.33 years female: 76.26 years (2008 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      2.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      NA

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      NA

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      NA

      Nationality:

      noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

      Ethnic groups:

      black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census)

      Religions:

      Anglican 25.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.3%, Pentecostal 10.6%,

       Moravian 10.5%, Roman Catholic 10.4%, Methodist 7.9%, Baptist 4.9%,

       Church of God 4.5%, other Christian 5.4%, other 2%, none or

       unspecified 5.8% (2001 census)

      Languages:

      English (official), local dialects

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 85.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.)

      Education expenditures:

      3.9% of GDP (2002)

      Government

       Antigua and Barbuda

      Country name:

      conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

      Government type:

      constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government

      Capital:

      name: Saint John's geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

      Administrative divisions:

      6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

      Independence:

      1 November 1981 (from UK)

      National holiday:

      Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)

      Constitution:

      1 November 1981

      Legal system:

      based on English common law

      Suffrage:

      18 years of age; universal

      Executive branch:

      chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

      Legislative branch:

      bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13

      Judicial branch:

      Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice

      Political parties and leaders:

      Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

      Political pressure groups and leaders:

      Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's

       Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

      International organization participation:

      ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

       IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,

       ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU,

       WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

      Diplomatic representation in the US:

      chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362–5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362–5225 consulate(s) general: Miami

      Diplomatic representation from the US:

      the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda

      Flag description:

      red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band

      Economy

       Antigua and Barbuda

      Economy - overview:

      Antigua has a relatively high GDP per capita in comparison to most other Caribbean nations. It has experienced solid growth since 2003, driven by a construction boom in hotels and housing that which should wind down in 2008. Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market