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National Map
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Antigua and Barbuda |
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National Flag
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Antigua and Barbuda |
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Flag Description:
red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top
edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal
bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow
rising sun in the black band
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
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Antigua and Barbuda |
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National Anthem
Of |
Antigua and Barbuda |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Antigua and Barbuda |
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Background:
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The
Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua
and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians
populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second
voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and
French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony
in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar
plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The
islands became an independent state within the British
Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 03 N,
61 48 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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2.5 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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153 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical
maritime; little seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain:
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mostly
low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher
volcanic areas |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
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Natural resources:
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NEGL;
pleasant climate fosters tourism |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55%
other: 77.27% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October);
periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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Antigua
has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural
harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western
harbor |
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Population:
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68,722
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 27.9% (male 9,767/female 9,427)
15-64 years: 68% (male 23,466/female 23,250)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,085/female 1,727)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
29.67 years
male: 29.19 years
female: 30.15 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.57%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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17.26
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.44
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-6.11
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
19.46 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 71.9 years
male: 69.53 years
female: 74.38 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.26
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
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Ethnic groups:
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black,
British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian |
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Religions:
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Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other
Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) |
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Languages:
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English
(official), local dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has completed five or
more years of schooling
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88% (1960 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda |
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy with UK-style parliament |
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Capital:
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Saint
John's (Antigua) |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint
George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter,
Saint Philip |
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Independence:
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1
November 1981 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) |
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Constitution:
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1
November 1981 |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Sir James B.
CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Winston
Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of
the prime minister; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister
by the governor general |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body
appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by
proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held
23 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge
of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and
presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Antigua
Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda
People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United
Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition
of three opposition parties - United National Democratic
Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or
ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Antigua
Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON];
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C,
Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Lionel A. HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy
closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is
accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
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Flag description:
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red, with
an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of
the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands
of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow
rising sun in the black band |
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Economy - overview:
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Tourism
continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more
than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since
early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed
the government into a tight fiscal corner. The
dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused
on the domestic market and constrained by a limited
water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure
of higher wages in tourism and construction.
Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export
with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and
electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in
the medium term will continue to depend on income growth
in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which
accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist
arrivals. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$750
million (2002 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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NA |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2002
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2%
services: 76.8% (2002) |
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Labor force:
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30,000
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983) |
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Unemployment rate:
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11% (2001
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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0.4%
(2000 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton,
fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers,
mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
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Industries:
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tourism,
construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol,
household appliances) |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6% (1997
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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100
million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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93
million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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3,600
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Exports:
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$214
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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Poland
47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$735
million (2004 est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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China
19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland 8.5%, Trinidad
and Tobago 4.7% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$231
million (1999) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.3
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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East
Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Exchange rates:
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East
Caribbean dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 2.7 (2004),
2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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38,000
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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38,200
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial
submarine cable; satellite earth station - 2;
tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and
Guadeloupe (2005) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 4, FM
2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.ag |
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Internet hosts:
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1,665
(2003) |
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Internet users:
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10,000
(2002) |
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Airports:
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3 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Roadways:
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total:
1,165 km
paved: 384 km
: 781 km (2002) |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
980 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626 GRT/7,683,143
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 630, chemical
tanker 9, container 272, liquefied gas 9, petroleum
tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 17,
vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 923 (Australia 2, Bangladesh 4,
Belgium 4, Colombia 2, Denmark 8, Estonia 2, Germany
849, Iceland 5, Latvia 5, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1,
Netherlands 11, Norway 3, Philippines 1, Russia 1,
Slovenia 5, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 4, United
Kingdom 1, United States 7) (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Saint
John's |
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Military branches:
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Royal
Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force: Infantry, Coast Guard
(2004) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age (est.); no conscript military service (2001) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics
bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an
offshore financial center |
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