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General
Island name: Antigua
(AC).
Country: Antigua &
Barbuda.
Nationality:
Antiguan(s).
Language: English
(official), local dialects.
Capital: Saint John's
(23,500).
Population: country - 90,000 (2013).
Population Density: 205 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.
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 or 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$ 18,400 (2013 est.).
Industries: tourism,
construction, light manufacturing
(clothing, alcohol, household
appliances).
Natural resources:
none.
Unemployment rate: 12 %
(2011).
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