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.