General Island name: Antigua (AC). Country: Antigua & Barbuda.  Nationality: Antiguan(s).  Language: English (official), local dialects.  Capital: Saint John's (23,500).  Population: country - 69,842 (July 2008 est.).  Population Density: 174.4 per sq km.  Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation.The hurricane season is June to September. Antigua and Barbuda is warm all year round with a soothing south-easterly breeze.  Weather today: click here for intellicast weather forecast.

Geography

Coastline: 153 km. 

Size: 19 km x 22 km, 280 sq km. 

Terrain: Mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas. 

Location: Between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico. 

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W. 

Highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m. 
 

Tourist Information

Overview: Antiguans boast that they have a different beach for every day of the year. There are 365 beaches on Antigua, one for each day of the year, and all are open to the public. The great majority rest inside the calm, protected waters of the island's Caribbean side. Most hotels, restaurants, beach bars, and watersports facilities lie north of the capital of St. John's, in the northwest. St. John's is a large, neatly laid-out town 10km (6 miles) from the airport. 

Accommodations: Resorts, Hotels, Villas, Guest Houses. Cheap accomodation is rare; close to Jolly Harbour are some low budget hotels.

Activities:  There are great facilities and shops for the sporting enthusiast, with scuba diving, tennis, squash, golf, sailing, water sports, wind surfing, horse riding and fitness facilities in Antigua. 

Average Tourist Arrivals: 234,410 (2009).

Crime: Antigua & Barbuda are relatively crime free, but exercise normal precautions; i.e. don't leave valuables unattended in rental cars or on the beach. 

Electricity: Part of the island is 110 volts AC, 60Hz, the remainder is 220 volts AC, 60Hz. Most hotels have both voltages available. American-style two-pin plugs. Some hotels also have outlets for 240 volts AC; in this case European-style, two-pin plugs are used. 

Entry Requirements: Visitors to Antigua and Barbuda require a valid passport, a return or onward ticket, confirmation of accommodation throughout the stay and sufficient funds for the duration of the stay. On arrival, the immigration officer must be satisfied that your reason for visiting Antigua and Barbuda is legitimate. 

Extension of stay: On entry, you are granted a stay of one month.  If you wish to stay longer, you must apply and pay for an extension of stay through the Antigua and Barbuda Immigration Department.  It is an offence to overstay the entry period or to work without a work permit. 

Telephone: country code - 1-268. Main lines in use: 40,000 (2006); mobile cellular: 102,000 (2006). 

Time: Atlantic Standard Time, one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time and the same as Eastern Daylight Time. GMT -4. 
 

Money

Cost of living: Moderate. St. John's is ranked number 224 of the most expensive places in the world (Barbados 108, Tampa Fla 235). 

Credit cards: Major credit cards and traveler's cheques are widely accepted, but small vendors and locally owned establishments may only accept cash. ATMs can be found in the airport and at island banks, which include the Bank of Antigua, Barclays Bank PLC, and the Royal Bank of Canada. St. John's will offer visitors the largest concentration of banks and ATMs, and visitors will find many banks along High Street. 

Currency: Official currency is the Eastern Caribbean (XCD) dollar which is fixed to the US dollar. Recent exchange rate was US$1.00 = EC$2.65. The rate for traveler's cheques is fixed at EC$2.68. Notes are issued in denominations of EC$5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. Coins are issued in EC$0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, and 1. The U.S. dollar is widely accepted. 

Tipping: 10-15 % depending on the service. Some restaurants & hotels will automatically add a 10 % gratuity. If in doubt, just ask. Give porters and bellhops 50 cents per bag, taxi drivers 10-15 % of the fare. 
 

Air Transport

Airport: V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU), located on the northeast corner of Antigua, 8km (5 miles) northeast of St John's. There is no public transport to/from the airport.Air: Carib Aviation (tel: 462 3147) run services to Monserrat, Nevis, St Kitts and other destinations in the Caribbean. Subsidiary companies of LIAT (tel: 480 5600) run flights within the Leeward Islands, with desks in Arrivals. There are both direct flights and connections from North America via San Juan and St. Martin and several weekly flights from Europe. Scheduled and charter service is available to many of the neighboring islands. 

Flying times: New York 4 hrs.; Miami 3 hrs.; Baltimore 4 hrs.; Toronto 4 hrs.; Puerto Rico 1 hr.; London 8 hrs.; Frankfurt 9 1/4 hrs.; Paris 8 hrs. 

Taxes: Antigua & Barbuda has a US$20.00 airport departure tax or EC$ 50.00, a room tax of 8.5% and service charge of 10% (in lieu of tipping). 
 

Water Transport

Ports and harbors: Saint John's. 

Ferry Terminal: St John s ferry terminal. The Barbuda Express runs 5 days a week between St Johns and Barbuda. The journey time of 90 minutes is ideal for business or day-trips. 
 

Politics

Ethnic groups: black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census). 

Government type: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. 

Legal system: based on English common law. 

Literacy: 85.8 % of the total population (2003 est.). 

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). 
 

Economy

Agriculture-products: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock. 

GDP per capita: US$ 10,900 (2005 est.). 

Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances). 

Natural resources: none. 

Unemployment rate: 11 % (2001).