The first settlements on Antigua date from about 2400 BC, and were composed of the Siboney (an Arawak word meaning 'stone-people'), peripatetic Meso-Indians whose shell and stone tools have been found at dozens of sites around the island. Antigua was later settled by the pastoral, agricultural Arawaks (35-1100 AD), who were then displaced by the Caribs, an aggressive people who ranged all over the Caribbean. The earliest European contact with the island was made by Christopher Columbus during his second Caribbean voyage (1493), who sighted the island in passing and named it after Santa Maria la Antigua, the miracle-working saint of Seville. European settlement, however, did not occur for over a century, largely because of Antigua's dearth of fresh water and abundance of determined Carib resistance. Finally, in 1632, a group of Englishmen from St Kitts established a successful settlement. Sir Christopher Codrington arrived in Antigua in 1684. He had come to Antigua to find out if the island would support the sort of large-scale sugar cultivation that already flourished elsewhere in the Caribbean. His initial efforts proved to be quite successful, and over the next 50 years sugar cultivation on Antigua exploded. By the middle of the 18th century there were more than 150 cane-processing windmills on the island, each the focal point of a sizeable plantation.

By the end of the 18th century Antigua had become an important strategic port as well as a commercial colony. Known as the 'gateway to the Caribbean', it was situated in a position that offered control over the major sailing routes to and from the region's rich island colonies. Horatio Nelson arrived in 1784 at the head of the Squadron of the Leeward Islands to develop the British naval facilities at English Harbour and to enforce stringent commercial shipping laws. It was during King William IV's reign, in 1834, that Britain abolished slavery in its empire. Antigua instituted immediate full emancipation rather than a 4-year 'apprenticeship' as in the other British Caribbean colonies. Emancipation actually improved the island's economy, but the sugar industry of the British islands was already beginning to wane. Until the development of tourism in the past few decades, Antiguans struggled for prosperity. The rise of a strong labour movement in the 1940s, under the leadership of V.C. Bird, provided the impetus for independence. In 1967, with Barbuda and the tiny island of Redonda as dependencies, Antigua became an associated state of the Commonwealth, and in 1981 it gained independence as a unitary state, despite a strong campaign for separate independence by the inhabitants of Barbuda.

Flag

• The Sun represents the dawning of a new era.
• Red symbolises lifeblood of slave forefathers and dynamism of the people
• Black symbolises the soil and African heritage of the people.
• Blue symbolizes hope.
• The combination of gold, blue and white represent the sun, sand and sea.
• "V" depicted represents "Victory at last!"

Coat of Arms

Originally Designed by: Mr. Gordon Christopher; Modified by: Mr. Don Cribbs

• The pineapple surmounting the arms represents the famous Antigua Black Pineapple.
• The red hibiscus flowers are symbolic of the many varieties that bloom in the Nation.
• The golden sun and the wavy blue and white bands symbolise the Sea, Sun and Beaches.
• The central sugar mill tower and the stem of sugar cane echoes the historic production of sugar, once the main industry.
• The Century Plant or dagger pole with its stem and showy golden yellow flowers was a part of the historic emblem of Antigua and the Leeward Islands.
• The two rampant deer depict the only large animal within the Eastern Caribbean and that is unique to Antigua and Barbuda.
• The scroll bears the motto of the Nation.

Download Anthem

Fair Antigua, We Salute Thee

Fair Antigua and Barbuda!
We thy sons and daughters stand
Strong and firm in
Peace or danger
To safe-guard our Native Land
We commit ourselves to building
A true nation brave and free;
Ever striving, ever seeking,
Dwell in love and unity

Raise the standard!
Raise it boldly!
Answer now to duty's call
To the service of thy country,
Sparing nothing, giving all;
Gird your loins and join the battle
'Gainst fear, hate and poverty,
Each endeavouring, all achieving,
Live in peace where man is free.

God of nations, let
Thy blessings
Fall upon this land of ours;
Rain and sunshine ever sending,
Fill her fields with crops and flowers;
We her children do implore Thee,
Give us strength, faith, loyalty,
Never failing, all enduring
To defend her liberty.

Words by: Novelle Hamilton Richards
Music by: Walter Garnet Picart Chambers
Adopted: 1967

"Each Endeavouring, All Achieving"

by Mr. James H. Carrot, inspires Antiguans to work for their country's betterment.

National Flower

The Agave, Dagger Log or Batta Log (Barbuda). Agave karatto Miller.

The yellow colored flowers rise from the large rosette of the Agave plant.

National Animal

The European Fallow Deer. (Dama dama dama)

The European Fallow Deer is believed to have been brought to Antigua  by the Codringtons in the early 1700's. The deer live and breed happily on Barbuda and on Guiana Island. There are two varieties, the Black Deer and the Common Deer.

National Fruit

The Antigua “Black” Pineapple. Ananas comosus (L.) Merril

Originally introduced by Arawakan speaking people.  Today it is known as one of the sweetest pineapples in the world and is grown mainly in the South of the island

National Tree

The Whitewood. (Bucida buceras L.)

This wide-spreading ornamental shady tree with nearly horizontal branches is related to the mangroves and almond trees. Its timber is heavy and hard and was once used for making gun carriages.

National Weed

The Widdy, Widdy

The Widdy, Widdy bush along with cockles was used by sugar workers to supplement their food supply during the strike of 1951 for better wages and working conditions. The strike lasted an entire reaping season.   Widdy, Widdy, with little

National Bird

National Sea Creature

Hawksbill Turtle or ‘oxbill. (Eretmochelys imbricata)

The Hawksbill Turtle can be recognized by its narrow pointed beak and open jagged edge on both sides of the shell. the hawksbill was originally perceived as a gift from the Caribs, Arawaks and archaic gods.  It was once hunted for its valuable shell.

National Stone

Petrified wood

Wood becomes petrified (fossilised) when buried for extended periods of time in mud containing volcanic ash. Antigua's petrified wood, belongs to the Oligocene period of geological time. Petrified wood fragments may still be found scattered throughout central Antigua.

National Historic Symbol

National Dish

National Holidays

Visit Our Calendar

The State comprises Antigua, the largest of the Leeward Islands, its sister island of Barbuda (30 miles away) and uninhabited Redonda. These islands are situated between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico. There are a total of 153km of coastline. Antigua is mainly coral-based, but is of volcanic origin in the south. Barbuda is a flat coral island. The climate is tropical, with little variation between the seasons. Antigua and Barbuda lies within the hurricane belt.

The United Progressive Party (UPP) won elections held on 23 May 2004. Their leader, Baldwin Spencer, was subsequently sworn in as Prime Minister taking over from Lester Bird who had been Prime Minister since 1994. This was an historic victory the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) had been in power since before independence in 1981. The change took place peacefully and in the best traditions of western democracy. Since assuming power the UPP government has embarked on a programme of good governance passing legislation such as the Freedom of Information Act, Prevention of Corruption Act and Integrity in Public Life Act. The new government’s major challenge was economic reform and tackling the high debt accumulated by the previous administration.

Barbuda has its own 9-member Council headed by its Chairman, Mr Fabian Jones. The Council has responsibility for electricity, water and education. The island’s main foreign exchange earner is tourism with a small number of small, luxurious hotels. With limited infrastructure the island is developed with due regard to the environment. The famous frigate bird sanctuary is managed with the utmost care. Some years ago there was talk of secession from Antigua but this is no longer an issue.