| POLITICAL Date of Independence: 1
November 1981
Head of State: HM The Queen
Governor General: HE Louise Lake-Tack
Governor General’s Deputy: Mrs. Yvonne
Maginley
Political System: Parliamentary Democracy
Political Orientation: Social/Democratic
Principal Political Parties:
Antigua Labour
Party (ALP)
United Progressive Party (UPP)
Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM)
Head of Government
and Party: Hon. Winston Baldwin Spencer, United Progressive
Party (UPP)
Leader of Opposition: Steadroy
Benjamin MP (ALP)
State of Parties:
(20th April 2004)
United Progressive Party (UPP) 12
seats
Antigua Labour Party (ALP) 4
seats
Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM)
1 Seat
DEMOGRAPHY
Population: 68,600
(1996)
Religion:
45 % Anglican
17 % Moravian
11 % Methodist
10 % Roman
Catholic
6 % 7th
Day Adventist
11 % Others
Language: English
GEOGRAPHY
Area: 180 sq.
miles (Antigua 108, Barbuda 72) (442 square
kilometres)
Neighbours:
St. Kitts &
Nevis (West)
Montserrat (South West)
Guadeloupe (South)
Capital: St.
John’s
Parishes: St. Mary’s, St. John’s, St.
Paul, St. Phillip’s, St. Peter, St. George
Principal Towns: Parham, Liberta, Codrington
(Barbuda), St. John’s (Deepwater Harbour)
Twinned with
London Borough of Waltham Forest: Antiguan
Waltham Forest Twinning Association headed by
Undeen George
ECONOMY
Basis: Tourism,
Banking and Light Industry
GDP: EC$ 1,270.72
(1996p) *
GDP per capita:
US$ 7,932 (1996p) *
GNP per capita:
US$ 7,324 (1995) *
External Debt:EC$
1,007.18 mil (1996p) *
Balance of Trade:
-EC$ 706.85 mil (1996p) *
Current Account
Balance: US$ 96.2 mil (1996p) *
Budget Surplus:
-US$ 27,053 mil (current)
Real Growth in
GDP: 5.79 % (1996) *
Inflation Rate: 4
% (1996p) *
Unemployment Rate:
7 % (1996p) *
External Payment
Arrears: US$ 400 million on 70 % of EDP
P = provisional
* Source = ECCB
12.6.97
TRADE
Principal Exports:
Tourism, Cotton, small amounts of fruits and
vegetable
Principal Imports:
Petroleum Products, Food, machinery, Manufactured
Goods
Tourism accounts
for more than 80 % of foreign exchange earnings
and contributes directly and indirectly more than
half of GDP
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