Guide to Antigua & Barbuda

Name: Antigua and Barbuda also known as Wadadli, which means approximately "our own".

Location: Antigua (pronounced An-tee'ga) and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin.

Population: 77,000 (UN, 2003)

Capital: St John's

Area: 442 sq km (170 sq miles)

Major language: English

Major religion: Christianity
 
Currency: 1 East Caribbean dollar = 100 cents

Internet domain: .ag

International dialling code: +1268

Climate: Temperatures generally range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall averages only 45 inches, making it the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands, and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September. Low humidity year-round.

Best time to go: December to May (least humidity and mosquitoes)

Time Zone: GMT -4

Entry: U.S. , Canadian and U.K. nationals require proof of citizenship--a valid passport, original or certified birth certificate.

10 October 2007