The "bearded" of Barbuda is thought to refer either to the male inhabitants of the island, or the bearded fig trees present there.Īntigua in 1823 European arrival and settlement Ĭhristopher Columbus was the first European to sight the islands in 1493. Christopher Columbus, while sailing by in 1493 may have named it Santa Maria la Antigua, after an icon in the Spanish Seville Cathedral.
The island of Antigua was originally called Wadadli by Arawaks and is locally known by that name today Caribs possibly called Barbuda Wa'omoni. Kitts and Nevis.Īntigua is Spanish for 'ancient' and barbuda is Spanish for 'bearded'. As of 2019, Antigua and Barbuda has a 0% individual income tax rate, as does neighboring St. Like other island nations, Antigua and Barbuda are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, and increased intensity of extreme weather like hurricanes, which have direct impacts on the island through coastal erosion, water scarcity, and other challenges. The economy of Antigua and Barbuda is particularly dependent on tourism, which accounts for 80% of GDP. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Commonwealth and Elizabeth II is the country's queen and head of state. Following self-governance in its internal affairs, independence was granted from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981. With the breakup of the federation, it became one of the West Indies Associated States in 1967. Having been part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871, Antigua and Barbuda joined the West Indies Federation in 1958. Antigua was colonized by Britain in 1632 Barbuda island was first colonised in 1678.
The island of Antigua was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named for the Church of Santa María La Antigua. Lying near each other, Antigua and Barbuda are in the middle of the Leeward Islands, part of the Lesser Antilles, roughly at 17°N of the equator. John's on Antigua, with Codrington being the largest town on Barbuda. The capital and largest port and city is St. The permanent population number is about 97,120 (2019 est.), with 97% being resident on Antigua.
It consists of two major islands, Antigua and Barbuda separated by 63 km (39 mi), and smaller islands (including Great Bird, Green, Guiana, Long, Maiden, Prickly Pear, York Islands, Redonda). Barb- YOO-də) is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the Americas, lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. "God Save the Queen" is the official national anthem, but is generally used only on regal and vice-regal occasions.Īntigua and Barbuda ( / æ n ˈ t iː ɡ( w) ə .If you need more information about our wind statistics for Antigua/VC Bird Airport, have a look at our help section. For converting between wind speed units such as knots, km/h (kilometers per hour), m/s (meters per second), and mph (miles per hour) use our wind speed calculator. Use website settings to switch between units and 7 different languages at any time. These units are often used by sailors, kiters, surfers, windsurfers and paragliders. We use knots and degrees Celsius as our default units. The arrows point in the direction in which the wind is blowing.Ĭheck the wind statistics for Antigua/VC Bird Airport when you want to find the best last minute travel destination for your kiteboarding, windsurfing or sailing vacation in Antigua and Barbuda. You can also order the raw wind and weather data on our historical weather data request page (for example for an insurance case, to better plan your vacation etc).
The wind statistics are based on real observations from the weather station at Antigua/VC Bird Airport. Windfinder specializes in wind, waves, tides and weather reports & forecasts for wind related sports like kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, sailing or paragliding. General This is the wind, wave and weather statistics for Antigua/VC Bird Airport in Saint John, Antigua and Barbuda.