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| Antigua and Barbuda | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | St. John's |
| Common languages | Antiguan and Barbudan Creole English |
| Government | Parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
• Prime Minister | Gaston Browne |
| Area | |
• Total | 440 km² |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 100,772 |
Antigua and Barbuda is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. It is a former colony of the British, and retains the British Monarch, Charles III, as its head of state.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
British Rule[edit | edit source]
In 1685, the British leased the island of Barbuda to the slaveholding Codrington family. Enslaved Africans organized a series of rebellions between 1741 and 1835. In 1834, the British tried to transport slaves in Barbuda to Antigua, but they rebelled, took control of Barbuda, and established communal ownership of land.[2]
Independence[edit | edit source]
In 1981 Antigua and Barbuda were granted independence from the United Kingdom leading to a politically dominant Antigua as the island holds over 95% of the nations population.
Hurricane Irma devastated Barbuda in 2017 leading to the majority of the residents moving to Antigua as refugees. The Antigua Labor Party (ALP) lead by Prime Minister Gaston Browne took this opportunity to start taking control of Barbudan land, and selling it to American tourism firms. [1]
In 2019, Prime Minister Browne demanded reparations from Harvard University, which received hundreds of acres of land from the Codringtons.[2]
Economy[edit | edit source]
Antigua and Barbuda's economy relies on oil exports and tourism from the Global North. 82% of workers in Antigua and Barbuda work in the service industry.[2]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dr. Matthew Quest (2018-06-13). "Enclosure, Dispossession and Disaster Capitalism in Antigua and Barbuda" Black Agenda Report. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Matsemala Odom (2021-03-15). "Africans in Antigua and Barbuda fight for land, demand reparations" The Burning Spear. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2022-08-13.