16 interesting facts about Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda — a title with a halo of Caribbean romance. It’s really very beautiful here — lush vegetation, many sunny days, azure sea and fine white sand beaches. Tourists are attracted here not only by beach holidays, but also by the heritage of colonial times that has survived to this day.

Interesting facts about Antigua and Barbuda

1. The islands of Antigua and Barbuda were discovered by Christopher Columbus (interesting facts about Columbus).
2. From the moment of discovery by Europeans and until gaining independence in 1981, the islands were under British control. The ruling English monarch is still the official head of the country.
3. The names of the islands were given by the Spaniards. Antigua means «ancient» and «Barbuda» — bearded.
4. The country also includes a third island, Redonda, but it has no permanent population — it is entirely a large national park.
5. The currency of Antigua and Barbuda is the East Caribbean dollar, which is also used in some other countries in the region, for example, in Grenada (interesting facts about Grenada).
6. There is not a single freshwater lake in the country. There are no rivers either. Despite this, local residents do not experience problems with fresh water — they luckily have enough underground sources.
7. Natives of Antigua speak with different accents than natives of Barbuda. Some of them, by the way, do not like each other.
8. Software piracy is officially allowed in the country. More precisely, it is not forbidden.
9. The name of the island «Barbuda» echoes the name of the island country «Barbados». The meaning of both names is the same, it’s just that Barbados was named in Portuguese, not in Spanish (interesting facts about Barbados).
10. The island of Barbuda is composed of volcanic deposits, and Antigua is a raised coral atoll.
11. Like many other former British colonies, cricket is the most popular sport in Antigua and Barbuda.
12. Hurricane Hugo, which struck the islands in 1989, caused terrible damage and caused great damage to the local economy.
13. Only here grow black pineapples, the sweetest in the world.
14. More than 90% of the money comes to the country’s budget through tourism.
15. Tipping in local cafes and restaurants is already included count.
16. There are as many as 365 beaches in the country. The locals joke that they have one beach for every day of the year.