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.