Country Profile: Antigua and Barbuda

Geography

Islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico.

History

These two islands in the Caribbean were colonized by the Spanish and French and then by the English, who made it their colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.

Economy

Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.

Estimated per capita GDP (2009 U.S. dollars)

2009: $18,100 (ranks 64th)
2008: $19,600
2007: $19,300

GDP growth rate:
2009: -6.5%
2008: 2.8%
2007: 6.9%

Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourism since early 2000 has slowed the economy.

Population

Living in an urban area: 30% (2008)
July 2010: 86,754. Growth rate: 1.3%
July 2008: 69,842
July 2007: 69,481

Density estimated in 2005: 155.3 persons per square kilometer.

Migration

2010: More arriving than leaving. A net gain of 6.01 persons per 1,000 population.

Health

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births)

2010: 15.1%
2008: 17.67
2005: 19.46

Average life expectancy at birth

2010: 75,26 years
2008: 72.69
2005: 71.9

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/