Antigua & Barbuda Print Map

View the electronic version of our 2017 Skyviews Antigua & Barbuda print map

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About Antigua & Barbuda

Situated at 17°5’N 61°48’W (650 km) southeast of Puerto Rico, Antigua is the largest of the Leeward Islands. It has two tiny satellites – Barbuda and the uninhabited Redonda. The island's circumference is approximately 54mi/87km and its area is 108mi²/281km. The highest point of a mostly flat terrain is Mount Obama, formerly known as Boggy Peak (1,319 ft/402m), the remnant of a volcanic crater. Rainfall is slight and there is no groundwater to speak of. Antigua is known as the island of 365 beaches, one for each day of the year! Indeed there are many inlets and bays and as such provides the sailing community with sheltered anchorage.

Fun things to do: rainforest canopy tours, diving, off-road tours as well as its fascinating and central place in recent Caribbean history through visits to the National Parks such as at English Harbour & Nelson’s Dockyard.

Local businesses

Visiting Antigua and Barbuda and wondering where to stay, what to do, where to eat and how to get around? We’ve got you covered with our list of hotels, restaurants, activities, car hire, shopping & more. Browse through for more details.

Accommodation

Choose from hotels, real estate, villas & cottages

Cottages & Small Inns

Experiences

Try watersports, golf, scuba diving, tours & more

Services

Get information on the island, medical facilities & other services

Shopping

Shop for souvenirs, local crafts, art, jewellery, clothes & more

Art Galleries

Events

Annual events

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Events in April

15-Apr-22 to 15-Apr-22
Good Friday (Antigua)

Public Holiday  A day of church services for all denominations throughout the island

17-Apr-22 to 17-Apr-22
Easter Monday (Antigua)

Public Holiday

Events in September

27-Sep-22 to 27-Sep-22
World Tourism Day (Antigua)

Events in November

1-Nov-22 to 1-Nov-22
Antigua and Barbuda Celebration of Independence (Antigua)

Public Holiday

1-Nov-22 to 1-Nov-22
Antigua and Barbuda Independence Food Fair (Antigua)

Public Holiday The largest food fair in Antigua and Barbuda, takes place during the country’s Annual Independence Celebrations on November 1.

Events in December

9-Dec-22 to 9-Dec-22
National Heroes Day (Antigua)

Public Holiday in the honour of our past and present heroes and heroines

9-Dec-22 to 9-Dec-22
V.C Bird Snr. Day (National Holiday) (Antigua)

Public Holiday

25-Dec-22 to 25-Dec-22
CHRISTMAS DAY (Antigua)

Public Holiday

25-Dec-22 to 25-Dec-22
Nelson’s Dockyard Christmas Day Champagne Party (Antigua)

26-Dec-22 to 26-Dec-22
BOXING DAY (Antigua)

Public Holiday

History and Culture

When sighting the island in 1493, Columbus named it Antigua after the miracle-working saint, Virgen De La Antigua (Virgin Of The Old Cathedral), whose icon resides in Seville Cathedral in Spain. However, before Columbus wandered to its shores, it was known as Waladli or Wadadli, meaning ‘ours’ or ‘our own’, a likely inheritance from the indigenous people who inhabited the island some 3,000 years ago. These may have been the Ciboney Indians, who were later replaced by the Arawak and then driven out by the Carib around 1100 AD.

In 1632, a group of colonists from St. Christopher (St. Kitts) settled the island, braving the fierce Caribs and lack of spring water. 1674 brought Sir Christopher Codrington from Barbados, who revolutionised the island’s fortunes by creating the lucrative sugar trade. One such legacy is Betty’s Hope, named after his daughter. In the late 18th Century Admiral Horatio Nelson was posted there to defend the profitable Caribbean shipping routes. It was at this time that slaves were brought from Africa to work the plantations. At its height, about 37,500 slaves were in forced labour and living in wretched conditions. Happily, the slave trade was abolished in 1807 and by 1834, all slaves were emancipated.

A New Era

Unlike many of the other islands, Antigua has had a fairly stable recent past and in the 1960’s, Antigua and Barbuda pushed for greater autonomy from Britain. In 1967 Antigua became an Associated State, with an entirely independent internal affairs administration, culminating on 1 November 1981 with the twin islands becoming fully independent with its own Prime Minister.