Time in Antigua and Barbuda (North America)
Time in Antigua and Barbuda (North America)
Antigua and Barbuda is in the Eastern Caribbean Time Zone which is UTC-4:00
hours AST or Atlantic Standard Time. At this time Antigua and Barbuda does not
follow DST or Daylight Saving Time. So the time in Antigua and Barbuda through
out the year remains UTC-4:00 hours AST. Although, Antigua and Barbuda is
geographically located in the North America, at this time Antigua and Barbuda
are actually a set of two islands lying in between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Caribbean sea, but forms one of the free Associate States of the United Kingdom.At
this time Antigua and Barbuda consists of other smaller islands as well namely, the Great
Bird, Green, Guinea, Long, Maiden and York Islands and in the far south the
Island of Redonda The capital of Antigua and Barbuda is St John's which is on
the island of Antigua. St John's also happens to be largest port as well as the
largest city in Antigua and Barbuda islands.
Area, Population and GDP at this time in Antigua and Barbuda
At this time Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of just 440 square
kilometers with very little area covered under water. At this time in Antigua
and Barbuda the population as estimated in 2014 was 91,295 people, ranked 199th in the
world. The 2011 census however showed 81,799 people residing in the islands
which means ti has a population density of 186 people per square kilometer. The population
constitutes West African, British and Madeiran people. The population has now
started living abroad mainly in United Kingdom and are called Antiguan Britons.
Some Antigua and Barbuda citizen live in USA and some in Canada also. A few immigrants from Dominica, Guyana and
Jamaica, plus Dominican republic, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Nigera have
come and
settled in Antigua and Barbuda. About 4500 American Citizen are also know to be
residing in these islands making them the largest English Speaking population in
the entire Caribbean. The GDP (PPP) estimated in 2012 was $1.57 billion with a
per capita of 18,026. The GDP (nominal) at this time in Antigua and Barbuda
islands is $1.176 billion with a per capita of $13,430.
Languages at this Time in Antigua and Barbuda
At this time in Antigua and Barbuda the official language is English. But a
lot of locals speak Antiguan Creole. Even in Creole, the Antigua and Barbudan
speak with different accent. English was the favourite language before the
independence of Antigua and Barbuda. But there after Antigual Creole became a
part of their culture which they started respecting. For this reason the upper
class and middle class speak only English and even in the educational system of
Antigua and Barbuda it is British English and not Antiguan Creole which is used
as medium of instruction. Antiguan Creole language has a lot of words borrowed
from both African languages as well as the British English. Some proverbs spoken
in Antigua and Barbuda are actually tracable to Africa. About 10,000 people at
this time in Antigua and Barbuda speak Spanish as well.
Climate at this time in Antigua and Barbuda
At this time in Antigua and Barbuda, the climate is of low humidity type and
experiences draught often. Hurricanes also strike at least once every year. The
temperature averages to just about 27 degree C or 81 deg F in the winter and 30
deg C or 86 deg F in the Summers and Autumn seasons. The coolest months at this
time in Antigua and Barbuda are December, January and February. The low humidity
makes the Antigua and Barbuda one of the most temperate climatic zones in the
world. The average rainfall at this time in Antigua and Barbuda is under 100 cm
and rainfall will vary with season. The most rain is received in the months of
September, October and November.
Tourism at this time in Antigua and Barbuda
At this time in Antigua and Barbuda Tourism is a booming industry and half
the GDP is thanks to the Tourism. Antigua has its famous for its many luxury
resorts. Tourism has shown a little slump starting from the year 2000. Many rich
people, movie stars and celebrities come down to Antigua and Barbuda thanks to
its unlimited prestine beaches. In fact Antigua proclaims that it has one beach
for each day of the year. Tourists come by luxury cruize ships mostly to St
John's port, where museums, historic buildings and shopping are the biggest
attraction. Barbuda island with less than 2% of the Antigua and Barbuda combined
population living there, is the most peaceful place tourists look for. Water
sports, diving, swimming, fishing, windsurfing and sailing are the other
attraction in addition to beautiful scenic golf courses to play at this time in
Antigua. The Half Moon Bay in the Antigua is considered as Antigua's best beach
with a curved half moon shape, idyllic crescent of fine white sands, protected
by reef and azure seas backed by natural foliage is the best place for
snorkeling on calm days.
Government at this time in Antigua and Barbuda.
At this time in Antigua and Barbuda the government is Parliamentary Democracy
under a Constitutional Monarchy with its Monarch in United Kingdom, a Governor
general and a Prime Minister. The Legislature is the Parliament wth an Upper
House called the Senate and the Lower House called the House of
Representatives.Post independence Antigua and Barbuda became an Associate
State on 27 February 1967 from its status as British colony. Other Associate
States are Dominica, Grenada, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia and
Saint Vincent all of whom became Free Associate States with the UK. This means
that these states will have full control over their own internal self government
and constitutions, but the United Kingdom will retain the responsibility for
their external affairs and defence. This also means that the British Monarch
will remain the head of state for all of them. Further, this also means that in
Antigua and Barbuda the Governor will have only constitutional powers and is
often a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda itself.
At this time in Antigua and Barbuda the politics take place inside the
framework of a Unitary, parliamentary, representative democratic monarchy. The
Head of State who is the Monarch will appoint the Governor General as the
Vice-Regal Representative. The Governor General will appoint a Council of
Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister who is the Head of the Government
at this time in Antigua and Barbuda. The government can exercise all the
executive powers whereas the legislative power is with both the government as
well as the two chambers of the Parliament. The upper house of the Bicameral
Parliament has a Senate of 17 members who are appointed by the members of the
government and opposition party which has to be approved by the Governor
General, where as the 17 members to the House of the Representatives are elected
by the first-past-the-post to serve a term of five years.
Why Named Antigua and Barbuda?
The name Antigua and Barbuda is a combination of two names. Antigua in Spanish means Ancient and Barbuda in Spanish means bearded. Originally, the Antigua and Barbuda islands were caled Wa'lladli by the Arawaks and at this time it is called Wa'omoni. It is also said that Christopher Columbus whilst sailing by these islands in 1493 named it Santa Maria la Antigua based on an icon in the Spanish Seville Cathedral. At this time in Antigua and Barbuda there are eight provinces namely Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Philip, Saint paul, barbuda, Saint Peter, Saint George and Other.