ANTIGUA |
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Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation located
in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.
Antigua and Barbuda are part of the Lesser Antilles with the island of
Guadeloupe to the south, Montserrat to the southwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis
to the west and Saint Barthélemy to the northwest. |
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Politics
Antigua and Barbuda is a Commonwealth Realm and the head of state is Queen
Elizabeth II, who is represented in Antigua and Barbuda by a governor
general. Executive power is in the hands of the prime minister, who is also
the head of government. The prime minister is usually the leader of the
winning party of the elections for the House of Representatives (17 members),
held every five years. The other chamber of the parliament, the Senate, has
17 members which are appointed by the governor general.
Parishes and Dependencies
The island of Antigua is separated into six parishes:
Saint George
Saint John
Saint Mary
Saint Paul
Saint Peter
Saint Philip
The island of Barbuda has the status of dependency, as does the tiny island
of Redonda to the west.
Demographics
Most of the population are descendants of the slaves that used to work in
the sugar plantations, but there are also groups of Europeans, notably
British and Portuguese. While the official language is English, most of the
locals speak patois, a mixture of English, local languages and some other
European languages.
Almost all Antiguans are Christians, with the Anglican Church (about 50%)
being the largest denomination. |
