Brief History

Officially known as Antigua and Barbuda, the island nation is made up of two main islands, Antigua and Barbuda. It was the great explorer Christopher Columbus on one of his voyages to the region in 1493 that he first sighted the islands that are now Antigua and Barbuda. The British empire began to colonize Antigua at start the 17^th century, along with the colonization of Barbuda towards the end of the same century. The islands were leased to a family by the British until the late 19^th century. A century and a half saw slave labour growing sugar as the main economy until mid-20^th century when the country eventually became sovereign. The country became independent in 1981 after many years of self-governance, along with a break away from membership of the West Indies. While the country has gained independence from Britain, the country still remains a member of the British commonwealth, with the Queen head of state. The main economy of the country in the 21^st century is tourism, which is heavily relied on to keep the country and its people as prosperous as possible.

National Flag

The national flag of Antigua and Barbuda consists of a red foreground, and a yellow, black, blue and white background. The red V stands for the victory, and the energy of its people. With the yellow 9 spire sun, standing for sun, with blue for sea and white for sand. The black background represents the African heritage the people.

The flag has been in place since self-governance in 1967.

Geography

Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation on the continent of North America that is split into two main islands. Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua being the larger of the islands. The country is part of a larger number of islands called the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. The islands are quite volcanic; however, the islands are very low-lying. The country has no land borders with any other country. The island nation based on where it is in the word, sees many hurricanes and tropical storms.

World Land Mass Ranking. 201st largest.
Highest Mountain. Boggy Peak. 402m. 1,319ft.
Longest River. N/A.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p3Ki6Kknr8

Main Languages

English (official) is the main language. Other language spoken is Antiguan Creole (unofficial) and approx. 10% Spanish.

Antigua and Barbuda Population:
95k (as of 2019).
Capital City: Saint Johns.
Capital City Population: 82k
(as of 2019).

Climate

Antigua and Barbuda is a tropical climate, which means that most of the year it is humid and hot. So, while there is the usual seasons, the winter and fall (autumn) are still quite warm and sunny. The cool dry season is from January to May, with the rainy season from June to November. The average temperature of the country is around 24 degrees C (75F) min to 30 degrees C (86F) max.

Key People

• Sir Vere Cornwall Bird
• Maurice Hope
• Sir Isaac Vivian Richards
• Baldwin Spencer
• Claudette Peters

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  Cuisine

  The people of Antigua and Barbuda love their food and make a big deal about food preparation. Sunday is a big day for food and family for this island nation. The national dish of Antigua and Barbuda is a dish called ‘Fungie’ which is mostly made up of cornmeal. Also, being a Caribbean nation, the ‘Jerk’ style of cooking is a big influence, with Jerk sauces marinated on main meats and fish dishes.

  Left is a picture of the ‘Jerk’ style of cooking.

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  Sports

  The national and main sport of Antigua and Barbuda is cricket. What else would it be really, as the people of this island nation in the Caribbean just adore Cricket. They are obsessed. There is a national cricket team, but also many islanders play cricket for Leeward Islands and West Indies cricket teams. One of the countries most famous cricketers is Sir Isaac Vivian Richards who was born in the capital city of Saint John’s. Viv had a wonderful career in the sport, and there is even a stadium after him, called The Sir Vivian Richards stadium. The stadium was built for the 2007 cricket world cup. Football / Soccer is also popular.

  Left is a picture of the Viv Richards stadium being built in 2006.

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  Culture

  The culture of Antigua & Barbuda and its people is influenced on many of the people’s African heritage along with British influence, as the country was colonized and ruled by Britain for a long time. Also, being a Caribbean nation, the creole culture is another influence. Music is also very important to the culture of the island nation. Popular music includes Soca and Calypso.
  Antigua & Barbuda is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

  Left is a picture is the Creole language, representing Creole culture.

   

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