Central America · The modern Caribbean and isthmus states
Antigua and Barbuda
1981–present
Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, was a British sugar colony (Antigua developed by Sir Christopher Codrington; Barbuda long leased to the Codrington family). It gained full independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981, with the former labor-union leader Vere Cornwall Bird as founding prime minister; the capital is St. John's.
- Existed
- 1981–present
- Shown on the map
- 1967–2024
- Peak area
- 590 km²
- Region
- Central America
Overview
Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, was a British sugar colony (Antigua developed by Sir Christopher Codrington; Barbuda long leased to the Codrington family). It gained full independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981, with the former labor-union leader Vere Cornwall Bird as founding prime minister; the capital is St. John's. It is a constitutional monarchy under King Charles III. The Bird family and the Antigua Labour Party dominated politics for decades — Vere Bird, then his son Lester Bird, into 2004.
Later history and present status
The economy is heavily based on tourism (including luxury yachting) and, controversially, offshore finance and online gaming; Barbuda was devastated and largely evacuated by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Gaston Browne (Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party) has been prime minister since 2014. The country has moved toward republican status and has been a prominent advocate for climate reparations and financing for small island states.
Common questions
- What was Antigua and Barbuda?
- Antigua and Barbuda, in the Leeward Islands, was a British sugar colony (Antigua developed by Sir Christopher Codrington; Barbuda long leased to the Codrington family). It gained full independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981, with the former labor-union leader Vere Cornwall Bird as founding prime minister; the capital is St. John's.
- When did Antigua and Barbuda exist?
- Antigua and Barbuda existed 1981–present. On this map it is drawn 1967–2024.
- How large was Antigua and Barbuda?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Antigua and Barbuda covered about 1,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- What is the present status of Antigua and Barbuda?
- The economy is heavily based on tourism (including luxury yachting) and, controversially, offshore finance and online gaming; Barbuda was devastated and largely evacuated by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Gaston Browne (Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party) has been prime minister since 2014.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity and for the key figures and events as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, EBSCO Research Starters and academic sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Antigua and Barbuda en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_and_Barbuda
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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