Home> Countries> North America> Antigua & Barbuda
Country Name
Antigua and Barbuda. Location
The island nation shares maritime borders with Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla (UK), Montserrat (UK), and Saint Barthélemy (France).
It is an archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the border with the Atlantic Ocean.
From its name, this state consists of two main islands, Antigua and Barbuda, located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. It is part of the smaller Antilles archipelago.
Capital
St Johns.
Reason for Naming the country
Antigua is Spanish for “ancient” and Barbuda is Spanish for “bearded”. It is said that when Christopher Columbus sailed in 1493, he called it "Santa Maria la Antigua".
Flag
Antigua and Barbuda's first flag was used on 27 February 1967 and was designed by a school teacher named Reginald Samuel. The flag consists of these colors Red, White, Blue, Black, and Yellow, The red color symbolizes the lifeblood of slave forefathers and the the dynamism of the people.
Blue represents hope, black, the soil, and African heritage, and gold, blue & white Antigua's and Barbuda's tourist attractions sun, sea, and sand. The seven-point Golden Sun symbolizes the dawn of a new era.
Language
English is the official language.
The most widely spoken immigrant language in Antigua and Barbuda is Spanish.
Religion
The dominant religion is Christianity. Over 70% of the population belongs to churches represented in the Antigua Christian Council, which include the Anglicans, Methodists, Moravians, Roman Catholics, and the Salvation Army.
There are about 400 Jehovah's Witnesses. Communities of non-Christians are fairly small. Rastafarianism has an estimated 1,000–1,500 adherents. The Baha'i faith has about 50 members.
An estimate of the number of Muslims practicing in the country was unavailable. St. John's, as the capital, serves as the episcopal seat of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.
Currency
East Caribbean Dollar.
Time Zone
-04:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Parliamentary Democracy and Constitutional Monarchy.
Climate
The climate in Antigua and Barbuda is tropical, hot, and humid all year round, with a relatively cool, dry season from January to mid-April and a hot, humid, and rainy season from mid-June to mid-November.
From mid-November to early January the temperature decreases a bit and the weather gets better, and from mid-April, to Mid-June the temperature and the frequency of downpours gradually increase. Temperatures average 24°c (75°f) in January and 29°c (84°f) in July, with cooling tradewinds from the east and northeast.
The best time to visit Antigua and Barbuda is from December to April since it is the least rainy and the least hot period of the year; in particular, the months of February and March stand out as the driest.
In May, both heat and moisture increase, but the rains are still not abundant (except during certain years), and out of the hurricane season.
Comments