Antigua and Barbuda
Hunter-gatherers settled the islands starting around 3000 BC. They arrived on canoes from Central and South America. Carbon dating has established the earliest settlements started around 3100 BC. The Ciboney were the first culture present in Antigua and Barbuda. They were succeeded by the ceramic age pre-Columbian Arawak-speaking Saladoid people who migrated from the lower Orinoco River. These groups introduced agriculture, raising crops like corn, sweet potatoes, chillies, guava, tobacco, and cotton. Duval, D. T. (1996) documented Saladoid archaeology on St. Vincent during a 1993/1994 University of Manitoba survey. Later on the Caribs settled the island. Christopher Columbus surveyed the island of Antigua in 1493. He may have named it Antiguo after an icon in the Spanish Seville Cathedral. The term Antiguo is Spanish for ancient. Barbuda was possibly called Barba by the Caribs. The bearded fig trees present there might explain the name Barbuda. The term Barbuda is sometimes used in Antiguan and Barbudan Creole to refer to the island's original name. This corrupted form emerged from a misspelling in a popular 1970s song.
The English settled on Antigua in 1632. Edward Warner and his small party created the first successful British colony. Christopher Codrington settled on Barbuda in 1685. Tobacco and then sugar was grown, worked by a large population of slaves transported from West Africa. These enslaved people soon came to vastly outnumber the European settlers. Smallpox was probably the greatest killer among the native population before slavery took hold. The brutal conditions endured by the slaves led to revolts in 1701 and 1729. A planned revolt occurred in 1736, the last led by Prince Klaas. It was discovered before it began and the ringleaders were executed. Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833, affecting the economy. Natural disasters such as the 1843 earthquake and the 1847 hurricane exacerbated these economic struggles. Mining occurred on the isle of Redonda until 1929 when it ceased. The island has since remained uninhabited.
Antigua and Barbuda became an associated state of the United Kingdom with full internal autonomy on the 27th of February 1967. Vere Bird served as Premier from 1967 to 1971 and again from 1976 to 1981. George Walter led the Progressive Labour Movement government from 1971 to 1976. Antigua and Barbuda gained full independence on the 1st of November 1981. Vere Bird became prime minister of the new country. The country opted to remain within the Commonwealth, retaining Elizabeth II as head of state. Sir Wilfred Jacobs served as the first governor-general. Succeeding governors-general included James Carlisle (1993, 2007), Louise Lake-Tack (2007, 2014), and Rodney Williams (present since 2014). The first democratic elections were held in 1951. From 1960 until 2004, the Bird family dominated the archipelago's politics with only one interruption. This ended with the election of Baldwin Spencer to the premiership.
The ABLP's dominance of Antiguan politics ended with the 2004 Antiguan general election. Winston Baldwin Spencer won this election for his United Progressive Party. He served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. The UPP lost the 2014 Antiguan general election, with the ABLP returning to power under Gaston Browne. ABLP won 15 of the 17 seats in the 2018 snap election. Vere Bird Jr., the elder son of Vere Bird Sr., was forced to leave the cabinet in 1990 following a scandal involving smuggling Israeli weapons to Colombian drug-traffickers. Another son, Ivor Bird, was convicted of possessing cocaine in 1995. Since 2014, the Labour Party has dominated national politics. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Commonwealth and a Commonwealth realm. It maintains significant influence in the former British Leeward Islands and the eastern Caribbean. However, the country continues to struggle with human rights and political polarisation. There is a significant Barbudan independence movement re-emerging alongside declining freedom of the press.
Most of Barbuda was devastated in early September 2017 by Hurricane Irma. This storm brought winds with speeds reaching 295 km/h (185 mph). The storm damaged or destroyed 95% of the island's buildings and infrastructure. Nearly everyone on the island was evacuated to Antigua. Philmore Mullin, Director of Barbuda's National Office of Disaster Services, stated that all critical infrastructure and utilities were non-existent. He noted food supply, medicine, shelter, electricity, water, communications, and waste management were gone. Officials quoted by Time indicated over $100 million would be required to rebuild homes and infrastructure. Amidst the following rebuilding efforts, the government announced plans to revoke a century-old law of communal land ownership. They allowed residents to buy land. Critics have called this move promoting disaster capitalism. In 2016, Nelson's Dockyard was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The nation established the Marine Ecosystem Protected Areas Trust in 2015 to fund marine conservation.
Tourism dominates the economy, accounting for more than half of the gross domestic product. As a destination for the most affluent travelers, Antigua is well known for its extensive collection of five-star resorts. Weaker tourist activity in lower and middle market segments since the beginning of the year 2000 has slowed the economy. Antigua and Barbuda enacted policies to attract high-net-worth citizens, such as abolishing personal income tax in 2016. Major international financial institutions like the Royal Bank of Canada maintain offices in Antigua. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Pannell Kerr Forster, and KPMG are some other companies in the financial services industry with offices there. In February 2009 the United States Securities and Exchange Commission leveled allegations against the Antigua-based Stanford International Bank. This bank orchestrated a massive fraud that resulted in the theft of approximately $8 billion from investors. The Citizenship by Investment Unit processes all applications for Agent's Licenses and citizenship applications. Manufacturing comprises 2% of GDP and includes enclave-type assembly for export.
The music of Antigua and Barbuda has some African characteristics with minimal influence from European music. Records of music date back to Christopher Columbus' writings in 1493 when it was still home to Arawak and Carib people. African labourers danced outside in the 1780s to the toombah drum adorned with tin and shell jingles. Antiguan indigenous music known as Benna came into being after slavery was abolished. It uses a call-and-response format and disseminated information around the island by the beginning of the 20th century. Benna has long been eclipsed by calypso and increasingly soca which includes South Asian rhythms. Every year on the island of Antigua, people celebrate their freedom from slavery with the Antigua Carnival. Over thirteen days there are brightly coloured costumes, talent events, beauty pageants and music. The celebration runs from late July to Carnival Tuesday. Sailing Week is a week-long yacht regatta held in English Harbour waters since 1967. The main festival held in Barbuda is Caribana during Whit Monday weekend featuring various pageants and calypso competitions.
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Common questions
When did Hunter-gatherers first settle Antigua and Barbuda?
Carbon dating has established that the earliest settlements in Antigua and Barbuda started around 3100 BC. Hunter-gatherers arrived on canoes from Central and South America to inhabit these islands.
Who was the first culture present in Antigua and Barbuda before European contact?
The Ciboney were the first culture present in Antigua and Barbuda. They were succeeded by the ceramic age pre-Columbian Arawak-speaking Saladoid people who migrated from the lower Orinoco River.
What date did Antigua and Barbuda gain full independence from the United Kingdom?
Antigua and Barbuda gained full independence on the 1st of November 1981. Vere Bird became prime minister of the new country which opted to remain within the Commonwealth retaining Elizabeth II as head of state.
How much damage did Hurricane Irma cause to Barbuda in September 2017?
Most of Barbuda was devastated in early September 2017 by Hurricane Irma which brought winds with speeds reaching 295 km/h (185 mph). The storm damaged or destroyed 95% of the island's buildings and infrastructure.
When did Antigua and Barbuda abolish personal income tax to attract high-net-worth citizens?
Antigua and Barbuda enacted policies to attract high-net-worth citizens such as abolishing personal income tax in 2016. Major international financial institutions like the Royal Bank of Canada maintain offices in Antigua following this policy change.