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| Antigua and Barbuda
PROFILE Official Name: Geography People Government Economy HISTORY Christopher Columbus landed on the islands in 1493 naming the larger one
"Santa Maria de la Antigua." The English colonized the islands in
1632. Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar estate in
Antigua in 1674, and leased Barbuda to raise provisions for his plantations.
Barbuda's only town is named after him. Codrington and others brought slaves
from Africa's west coast to work the plantations. Antiguan slaves were emancipated in 1834 but remained economically dependent
on the plantation owners. Economic opportunities for the new freedmen were
limited by a lack of surplus farming land, no access to credit, and an economy
built on agriculture rather than manufacturing. Poor labor conditions persisted
until 1939 when a member of a royal commission urged the formation of a trade
union movement. The Antigua Trades and Labor Union, formed shortly afterward, became the
political vehicle for Vere Cornwall Bird who became the union's president in
1943. The Antigua Labor Party (ALP), formed by Bird and other trade unionists,
first ran candidates in the 1946 elections and became the majority party in 1951
beginning a long history of electoral victories. Voted out of office in the 1971 general elections that swept the progressive
labor movement into power, Bird and the ALP returned to office in 1976; the
party won renewed mandates in the general elections in 1984 and 1989. In the
1989 elections, the ruling ALP won all but two of the 17 seats. During elections in March 1994, power passed from Vere Bird to his son,
Lester Bird, but remained within the ALP which won 11 of the 17 parliamentary
seats. In the last elections in March 1999, the ALP gained another seat
resulting in a distribution of 12 seats to the ALP, four seats to the opposition
United Progressive Party (UPP) led by Baldwin Spencer, and one seat to the
Barbuda People's Movement (BPM). GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS Antigua and Barbuda has a multiparty political system with a long history of
hard fought elections, two of which have resulted in peaceful changes of
government. The opposition, however, claims to be disadvantaged by the ruling
party's longstanding monopoly on patronage and its control of the electronic
media. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship,
movement, and association. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the eastern
Caribbean court system. Jurisprudence is based on English common law. Principal Government Officials Antigua and Barbuda maintain an embassy in the United States at 3216 New
Mexico Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 (tel. 202-362-5122). ECONOMY To lessen its vulnerability to natural disasters, Antigua has been
diversifying its economy. Transportation, communications and financial services
are becoming important. Antigua is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). All
members of the ECCU, The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) issues a common
currency for all members of the ECCU. The ECCB also manages monetary policy, and
regulates and supervises commercial banking activities in its member countries. Antigua and Barbuda is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative.
Its 1998 exports to the U.S. were valued at aboutUS $3 million and its U.S.
imports totaled about US $84 million. It also belongs to the predominantly
English-speaking Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). FOREIGN RELATIONS As a member of CARICOM, Antigua and Barbuda supported efforts by the United
States to implement UN Security Council Resolution 940, designed to facilitate
the departure of Haiti's de facto authorities from power. The country agreed to
contribute personnel to the multinational force which restored the
democratically elected government of Haiti in October 1994. In May 1997, Prime Minister Bird joined 14 other Caribbean leaders and
President Clinton for the first-ever U.S.-regional summit in Bridgetown,
Barbados. The summit strengthened the basis for regional cooperation on justice
and counter-narcotics issues, finance and development, and trade. U.S.-ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA RELATIONS Antigua and Barbuda is strategically situated in the Leeward Islands near
maritime transport lanes of major importance to the United States. Antigua has
long hosted a U.S. military presence. The former U.S. Navy support facility,
turned over to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in 1995, is now being
developed as a regional Coast Guard training facility. The U.S. Space Command
continues to maintain a space-tracking facility on Antigua. The U.S. embassy in
Antigua closed on June 30, 1994. Antigua and Barbuda's location close to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico makes it an attractive transshipment point for narcotics traffickers.
International concerns have also been raised by the vulnerability of the
off-shore financial sector to money laundering. To address these problems, the
U.S. and Antigua and Barbuda have signed a series of counter-narcotic and
counter-crime treaties and agreements, including a maritime law enforcement
agreement (1995), subsequently amended to include overflight and order-to-land
provisions (1996); a bilateral extradition treaty (1996); and a mutual legal
assistance treaty (1996). In 1999, Antigua and Barbuda had more than 207,000 stay-over visitors, more
than 68,000 from the U.S. It is estimated that 4,500 Americans reside in the
country. Principal U.S. Embassy Officials The United States maintains no official presence in Antigua. The ambassador
and embassy officers are resident in Barbados and travel to Antigua frequently.
However, a U.S. consular agent resident in Antigua assists U.S. citizens in
Antigua and Barbuda. The U.S. embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel: 246-436-4950; fax:
246-429-5246). Consular Agent Other Contact Information Caribbean/Latin American Action
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport information can be obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center's automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648). It also is available on the internet. Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. |
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