Antigua & Barbuda

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Interesting & Exciting Facts About Antigua and Barbuda:

• The Antigua and Barbuda nation belongs to the Caribbean West Indies. It consists not only of these two islands but also Redonda, a small uninhabited island, and several smaller siblings.
• The first inhabitants of Antigua and Barbuda were believed to be the Siboney people, who had lived on the islands since 2400 BC (at least), and the Arawak Indians that followed.
• The first European to visit Antigua is Christopher Columbus, who named the island after the Spanish church of Santa Maria de la Antigua in 1493.
• The overwhelming majority of the island nation’s population lives in Antigua (around 97% of the total population). As for the residents of Barbuda, they are primarily settled in the capital of the island, the Codrington settlement.
• Antigua gained independence in 1981 after being a British colony for centuries (since the early 1600s).
• Antigua’s highest mountain is now referred to as Mount Obama. However, its original name is Boggy Peak. That name change took place in 2009 to honour US President Obama’s birthday. However, most people use the name originally given to the 402-metre (around 1,319 feet) peak.
• The national dish of Antigua is pepperpot, a hearty vegetable and meat stew served with dumplings or cornmeal patties called fungee or fungi.
• The residents of Antigua and Barbuda are considered to be the lightest smokers on earth! A smoker here only smokes around 90 cigarettes annually.
• The bearded indigenous Barbudian people are probably the reason behind the island’s christening (Barbuda means bearded in Spanish). Other accounts claim that Barbuda got its name from the bearded fig trees that grow on the island!
• One of the world’s greatest-ever batsmen and a legendary West Indian cricketer, namely Sir Viv Richards, was born in Antigua. There is even a stadium bearing his name on the island!
• Antigua and Barbuda both import most of the items they need. For that reason, they are considered luxury destinations, with everything available on the islands at a higher price tag than other Caribbean destinations.
• The most popular sport in Antigua and Barbuda is cricket, which makes sense if we remember that Antigua is the homeland of several cricket legends, such as Sir Viv Richards and Curtley Ambrose. Most cricket games are held at the Antigua Recreation Ground, one of the must-see local attractions (located near VC Bird International Airport).
• Preserving the landscape is extremely important for Antigua and Barbuda. For that reason, plastic bags are banned on both islands. At the same time, tourists are encouraged to respect the native species and the natural environment around them, leaving behind no trace during their visit.
• If visiting Antigua during the Sailing Week, your hotel might charge a premium so please check with them before travelling to Antigua.

Popular Events

If you wish to visit the charming Caribbean destination for its lively culture and folklore, you may want to plan a trip to Antigua and Barbuda in late July, when the carnival takes place – one of the most celebrated events in the nation. However, there is always something going on throughout the year.

The Antigua Sailing Week (aka Antigua Yacht Regatta) is the most celebrated event in Antigua, along with the Carnival, and is hosted every spring. During the festival, more than 150 extra luxury yachts from across the earth come here to compete for first place.

Besides the festivities mentioned in the next section of this guide, the two islands also spoil visitors with the following events:

Best Antigua and Barbuda Events

The Carnival is, hands down, the most celebrated event in Antigua and Barbuda, followed closely by the Antigua Sailing Week and the Sailing Regatta. Taking place in late July and ending in August (the first Monday or Tuesday of the month), it (the Carnival) hosts a wide range of festivities, including glorious parades with glitzy costumes, lots of live music, dancing, and even competitions and feasts starring local specialties, such as seafood and fresh fish dishes. Why is it such a big deal for Antigua and Barbuda? Because they celebrate the abolition of slavery in 1834 (August 1^st).

Antigua and Barbuda were the first to emancipate all their slaves in 1834, which is something that had never happened in the West Indies until that time. Considering that slavery played a significant role in the country’s economy in the 1800s (thousands of slaves from Africa were used to run the sugarcane and tobacco plantations in Antigua), abolishing slavery would have a major impact on the future of the island. Nevertheless, the country freed almost 32,000 enslaved Africans (all of its plantation workforce) and became the first island nation that took such a drastic step toward equality and equal human rights.

The Beach Experience

Antigua and Barbuda supposedly have as many sugary shores as the days in a year! With around 365 beaches to choose from, visitors are spoiled for choice. Some of the most pristine and popular shores along the Antigua and Barbuda coasts are the Atlantic Ocean-facing Half Moon Bay, quiet and scenic Darkwood Beach, charming Crab Hill Beach (aka Turners), lively Dickenson Bay, family-friendly Long Bay, relaxing and “wild” Ffryes Beach, and snorkelling-perfect Pigeon Point.

And did you know that Antigua and Barbuda renamed the exclusive Coco Point Beach into Princess Diana Beach in honour of the beloved princess’ birthday in 2011? Plus, it is home to an infamous pink-sand beach that gets its unique tint from microscopic organisms with a reddish shell!

Weather

Antigua and Barbuda have pleasant, warm, humid, and rather wet weather. Its sub-tropical climate and relatively flat terrain bring quite a lot of rainfall during the wet season, which does not affect the average hours of daily sunshine. The same pleasing conditions distinguish the sea temperature, perfect for swimming and other water sports almost year-round. The same applies to wind-powered activities, as the northeastern winds that blow in Antigua and Barbuda help promote such ventures while also moderating the heat and humidity.

The Antigua and Barbuda Flag

The island nation’s flag has a central triangular area featuring black, blue, and white stripes, red triangles at its ends, and a sun. The V-shaped central area represents victory. Red is for the residents focusing on shaping their destiny, blue stands for the sea, the sun for the local climate, black for the soil and the majority of the population, and finally white represents the Antigua and Barbuda shores.

Natural Wonders & Historic Sites in Antigua and Barbuda

The latest addition to the Antigua and Barbuda family, the uninhabited Redonda Island, has witnessed a fierce invasion of feral goats and rats in the past, which stripped the islands of its flora and fauna almost in their entirety. Fortunately, massive conservation works started in 2016 that involved poisoning the rats and rounding up the goats. Today, Redonda has rebounded fully and spoils nature lovers with verdant lands teeming with vegetation and bird life.

Speaking of animals, the rarest snake in the world, the Antiguan racer snake, is also believed to have made Antigua and Barbuda its home. It is a critically endangered snake species that is only found off the Antigua coast on Bird Island.

That aside, Antigua and Barbuda continues to impress with the stunning Codrington Lagoon National Park (situated in Barbuda island), where you can make acquaintance with the largest frigate bird colony in the western hemisphere, counting over 2,500 feathered creatures of the frigate family!

Last but not least, Antigua has seen one of its landmarks being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We are talking about the Antigua Naval Dockyard that enslaved Africans built in the 18th century. The area also contains significant archaeological sites, naval defensive structures, and buildings featuring a beautiful Georgian style.