and Barbuda became an independent
state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Some 3,000
refugees fleeing a volcanic eruption on nearby Montserrat have settled
in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995.

Geography Antigua and Barbuda

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

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 N, 61 48 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) water:
0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km land: 442 sq km

Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 153 km

Maritime claims: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: tropical
marine; little seasonal temperature variation

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Boggy Peak 402 m

Natural resources: NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Land use: arable land: 18% permanent crops: 0% other: 82% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October);
periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: water management - a major concern because
of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the
clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run
off quickly

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Whaling signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: Antigua has a deeply
indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has
a very large western harbor

People Antigua and Barbuda

Population: 67,448 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 9,618; female 9,293) 15-64 years:
67.3% (male 22,695; female 22,682) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,289;
female 1,871) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.69% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 18.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -6.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.0