Antigua and Barbuda are two Caribbean islands, (Antigua, pronounced "an-tee'-gah" and Barbuda), that form a country that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico, off the coast of South America. With few other natural resources, the islands have a pleasant climate and a multitude of white sand beaches that fosters tourism.
Regions
Antigua - the southern (and larger) island of the main pairBarbuda - the northern island of the main pairRedonda - a small uninhabited island 54 km to the west of Antigua
Cities
Saint John's - Capital, on the island of AntiguaCodrington - A town on the island of Barbuda
Other destinations
English Harbour
Dickenson Bay
Half Moon Bay
Understand
Climate
The climate is tropical marine with little seasonal temperature variation. The islands experience hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October), and periodic droughts.
History
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.
Electricity
Officially 230V 60Hz. Most outlets are the standard British type. Generally speaking, U.S. and Canadian travellers should pack adapters for these outlets if they plan to use North American electrical equipment in Antigua & Barbuda.
However contact your hotel and ask to be sure. Many places are now built to North American standards.
Also in use are non-grounded North American outlets. These require an adapter to work with plugs that have the third grounding plug. Older North American outlets may not be polarized (with one slot wider than the other). To remedy this, the wider vertical blade on a polarized plug may be filed down to match the width of the other. Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet.
Get in
By air
V.C. Bird International ()() Located in north-east Antigua on the outskirts of St John's, is the country's main international airport. The airport serves flights into the United States, Canada, Europe and other Caribbean islands.
Both LIAT and Caribbean Star have hubs in Antigua, operating flights to various destinations in the Eastern Caribbean.
The following international airlines serve the airport:
To the US: American Airlines/American Eagle (San Juan, Puerto Rico), BWIA (New York-JFK) , Continental Airlines (Newark, NJ), Delta Airlines (Atlanta, GA), US Airways (Charlotte, NC),
To Canada: Air Canada (Toronto, Ontario) , BWIA (Toronto, Ontario)
To Europe: British Airways (London-Gatwick), BMI (Manchester), Condor (Frankfurt, Germany), Virgin Atlantic (London-Gatwick , BWIA (London-Heathrow)
To Caribbean: American Airlines/American Eagle (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Caribbean Sun (San Juan, Puerto Rico) , BWIA (Kingston, Jamaica) , BWIA (Trinidad)
By boat
Many excursionist come in via cruise ships and enjoy their day in Antigua. Many cruise lines travel to Antigua.
Get around
Tourists mainly get around by taxi or tour operators. However for the
tourist on an economy budget the bus service is fairly good.
To/From Barbuda: The Barbuda Express offers ferries from Antigua.
Talk
Languages spoken are English (official) and local dialects. There is also an expanding Spanish-speaking expatriate population.
Buy
Galley Boutique, English Harbour has great clothes.
1000 Flowers, St. John's has great clothes.
Eat
The national dish is fungie (pronounced foon-gee) and pepper pot. Fungie is a dish very similar to the Italian Polenta being made mainly of cornmeal. Other local dishes include ducana, seasoned rice, saltfish and lobster (from Barbuda). Local confectionaries include sugarcake, fudge, raspberry and tamarind stew, and peanut brittle. The various restaurants around the island sell both local and international food.
• Lunch might be anything that can be easily bought from a nearby shop, especially a bakery.
• Dinner will typically be rice,macaroni or pasta, vegetables/salad, an entree (fish, chicken, pork, beef etc.) and a side dish like macaroni pie, scalloped potatoes or plantains. Local drinks are mauby, seamoss, tamarind juice, mango juice and coconut water. Adults favour beers and rums, many of which are made locally.
Sunday is the day when the culture is most reflected in the food. For breakfast one might have saltfish, eggplant, eggs, bacon, sausages, or lettuce. Dinner may include pork, baked chicken, stewed lamb, or turkey, alongside rice (prepared in a variety of ways), salads, and a local drink.
Harmony Hall, near Freetown. It closes for the summer on May 6th. The best restaurant on the island.
Mama Lolly, Redcliffe Quay, St. John's. Vegetarian and vegan friendly home cooking.
Calabash, Redcliffe Quay's "Vendors Mall", St. John's. Vegan cuisine. Owned by a raw chef who used to work in New York.
The Roti King, corner of St Mary's Street and Corn Alley, St John's. Serves Roti, which is a West Indian dish of rolled Indian flat bread filled with hot and sweet curry and tamarind sauce.
Drink
Papa Zouk, Bar and fish and chips restaurant 2 mins outside of St. John's.Cavalier Rum , Antiguan Rum.Wadadli, Antiguan BeerOasis, Desalinated water.
Sleep
There are many hotels in Antigua so finding one should not cause too much of a hassle.
Jolly Harbour Resort & Marina, Toll free: United States/Canada: 1-866-905-6559; United Kingdom/Europe: 00 800 1 235 6559, . All inclusive.
Galley Bay, Telephone: (268) 462-0302,
Grand Royal Antiguan Beach Resort, Phone: (268) 462-3733, European or All Inclusive Plans.
Learn
Learn about local heritage and culture. Learn a bit of dialect along the way.
Stay safe
Though Antigua is a very safe place, secure your purses and wallets. Walk only with the necessary money, avoid street urchins and vagrants and don't be afraid to ask for help. If you rent a car, park in a well-lit area.
Stay healthy
Avoid taking unusual risks, eat more from packaged goods. However the public market is a great place to mingle and get inexpensive provisions.
Respect
The locals are very friendly and respectable. Approach them in a courteous manner and it will undoubtedly be returned to you. Approach them with a smile and remember please, thank you, good afternoon.
Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. This country has two major islands: Antigua () and Barbuda (). They are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago with the islands of Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago to the south, Montserrat to the southwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis to the west and Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin and Anguilla to the northwest.
History
Pre-ceramic Amerindians were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 BC. Later Arawak and Carib Amerindian tribes populated the islands. The island of Antigua was named Waladli by these natives and is today called Wadadli by locals. Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493 and named the island Santa Maria de la Antigua after a church in Seville, Spain. Early settlement by the Spanish was replaced by English rule from 1632, with a French interlude in 1666. Subsequently Irish Catholic slaves were transported to Antigua . Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834.
The islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981, and Vere Bird became the first prime minister.
Politics
The politics of Antigua and Barbuda takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. A Governor-General is appointed by the Queen (or other reigning monarch). Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament. The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (seventeen-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (seventeen seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms). The last elections held were on 23 March 2004 for the House of Representatives; the next are due in 2009. The Antigua Labour Party won four seats, while the United Progressive Party won thirteen.
Government
Since 1949 the party system had been dominated by the personalist Antigua Labour Party. However the Antigua and Barbuda legislative election, 2004, saw the defeat of the longest-serving elected government in the Caribbean. The Prime Minister, Lester Bird, had been in office since 1994, when he succeeded his father, Vere Bird. The elder Bird had been Prime Minister from independence in 1981, and before independence had been Chief Minister of Antigua from 1960, except for the period 1971-76.
Structure
The Head of State is the Queen, who is represented by the Governor-General. A Council of Ministers is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. The Judicial Branch is the 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). Antigua is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice. The Supreme Court of Appeal was the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, up until 2001, when the nations of the Caribbean Community voted to abolish the right of appeal to the Privy Council in favour of a Caribbean Court of Justice. Some debate between member countries had repeatedly delayed the court's date of inauguration. As of March, 2005, only Barbados was set to replace the process of appeals of Her Majesty in Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice which then had come into operation.
Military
The Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force is a very small military force, with only 170 members.
Parishes and dependencies
The island of Antigua is divided into six parishes:
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