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100-760: Six of the states using the EC$ are independent states: Antigua and Barbuda , Dominica , Grenada , Saint Kitts and Nevis , Saint Lucia , and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . The other two, Anguilla and Montserrat , are British Overseas Territories . These states are all members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union . The other two associate members of the OECS do not use the Eastern Caribbean dollar as their official currency:

200-622: A West Indian Currency Conference saw Barbados, British Guiana, the Leeward Islands , Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands agree to establish a unified decimal currency system based on a West Indian dollar to replace the current arrangement of having three different Boards of Commissioners of Currency (for Barbados (which also served the Leeward and Windward Islands), British Guiana and Trinidad & Tobago). In 1949,

300-833: A decagonal, cupro-nickel type. In 2002 new and larger round-shaped 1, 2, and 5 cent pieces were introduced, along with a new 1 dollar coin which was also round. The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II was also changed that same year on all coin denominations to the Ian Rank-Broadley design, making it the last commonwealth currency up to that date to discontinue the Arnold Machin portrait. Their compositions remained aluminum and cupro-nickel, respectively. Higher denominations exist, but these were issued only as medal-coins . 1 and 2 cent coins were withdrawn from circulation in July 2015, and remained legal tender until 30 June 2020. In 1965,

400-588: A degree of political stability, and boosting tourism to the country, the Bird governments were frequently accused of corruption, cronyism and financial malfeasance. Vere Bird Jr. , the elder son, was forced to leave the cabinet in 1990 following a scandal in which he was accused of smuggling Israeli weapons to Colombian drug-traffickers. Another son, Ivor Bird , was convicted of selling cocaine in 1995. In 1995, Hurricane Luis caused severe damage on Barbuda. The ABLP's dominance of Antiguan politics ended with

500-469: A member of the earlier British West Indies currency union, but withdrew in 1964. The combined population of the EC$ area is about 613,000 (2014 census and estimates), which is comparable to Montenegro or the American capital city of Washington, D.C. The combined GDP is 5.46 billion US dollars, which is comparable to Bermuda . The late Queen Elizabeth II appears on the banknotes and also on

600-601: A result of the revolutions in Latin America where most of the Spanish dollars were minted. The last Spanish Dollar was in fact minted at Potosi in 1825. There was now a growing desire to have a stable and steady supply of British shillings everywhere the British drum was beating. The 1825 order-in-council was largely a failure because it made sterling silver coinage legal tender at the unrealistic rating in relation to

700-628: A small number of East Asians and Sephardic Jews make up the remainder of the population. An increasingly large percentage of the population lives abroad, most notably in the United Kingdom ( Antiguan Britons ), the United States and Canada. A minority of Antiguan residents are immigrants from other countries, particularly from Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica , and, increasingly, from the Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and

800-581: A well-known merchant and determined to be genuine. The specifications of the Spanish dollar became a standard for trade in the Far East, with later Western powers issuing trade dollars , and colonial currencies such as the Hong Kong dollar , to the same specifications. The first Chinese yuan coins had the same specification as a Spanish dollar, leading to a continuing equivalence in some respects between

900-400: Is Codrington . It is estimated that 25% of the population lives in an urban area, which is much lower than the international average of 55%. Antigua and Barbuda consists mostly of its two namesake islands, Antigua , and Barbuda . Other than that, Antigua and Barbuda's biggest islands are Guiana Island and Long Island off the coast of Antigua, and Redonda island, which is far from both of

1000-592: Is Spanish for 'ancient' and barbuda is Spanish for 'bearded'. The island of Antigua was originally called Wadadli by the Arawaks and is locally known by that name today; the Caribs possibly called Barbuda Wa'omoni . Christopher Columbus , while sailing by in 1493, may have named it Santa Maria la Antigua , after an icon in the Spanish Seville Cathedral . The "bearded" of Barbuda

1100-480: Is a unitary parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy . The current Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda was adopted upon independence on 1 November 1981. This replaced the pre-independence constitution of the Associated State of Antigua , which did not thoroughly define the relationship between the two islands. The island of Barbuda maintains much autonomy, while the island of Antigua

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1200-504: Is a small, uninhabited island located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the south-west of Antigua. Redonda is a rocky island. In Antigua and Barbuda forest cover is about 18% of the total land area, equivalent to 8,120 ha of forests in 2020, down from 10,110 ha in 1990. The most populous cities in Antigua and Barbuda are mostly on Antigua, being Saint John's , All Saints , Piggotts , and Liberta . The most populous city on Barbuda

1300-602: Is completely inactive, except for the Barbuda Council which is enshrined in the Constitution. Antigua historically had a system of village councils in the 1940s (although the legislation was never repealed), however, the Gaston Browne administration has expressed opposition to all forms of local governance. St. John's also historically had a city council during the late 1800s and early 1900s, however

1400-600: Is directly governed by the national government. The executive branch has two primary leaders. The Governor-General , currently Rodney Williams , exercises the functions of the Monarch of Antigua and Barbuda , in whom executive power is vested in. The Governor-General serves at the pleasure of the Monarch, and usually serves a similar term to that of the Prime Minister . The Prime Minister, currently Gaston Browne ,

1500-456: Is largely dependent on tourism, which accounts for 80% of its GDP. Like other island nations , Antigua and Barbuda is vulnerable to the effects of climate change , such as sea level rise , and increased intensity of extreme weather like hurricanes . These cause coastal erosion , water scarcity , and other challenges. Antigua and Barbuda offers a citizenship by investment program. The country levies no personal income tax . Antigua

1600-756: Is responsible for the national security of Antigua and Barbuda . The Defence Force consists of the Regiment (army), the Air Wing , the Coast Guard , and the Service and Support Battalion. The Defence Force is led by the Chief of Defence Staff, who is subject to the orders of the Governor-General. The Defence Force is headquartered at Camp Blizzard . The National Security Council is responsible for

1700-569: Is the head of government , and is appointed by the Governor-General. The Prime Minister must be a member of the House of Representatives , and must be the member of the House of Representatives who is most likely to command the support of the majority of members. The Governor-General has the ability to dissolve Parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister, or when the majority of the members of

1800-675: Is the country's capital, major city, and largest port. Codrington is Barbuda's largest town. In 1493, Christopher Columbus surveyed the island of Antigua, which he named for the Church of Santa María La Antigua . Great Britain colonized Antigua in 1632 and Barbuda in 1678. A part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871, Antigua and Barbuda joined the West Indies Federation in 1958. With

1900-542: Is the highest point on both Antigua and Barbuda. It is the remnant of a volcanic crater and rises a total of 402 meters. Boggy Peak is located in the southwest of Antigua (1,319 feet). Both of these islands have very irregularly shaped coastlines that are dotted with beaches, lagoons, and natural harbours. There are reefs and shoals that surround the islands on all sides. Because of the low amount of rainfall, there are not many streams. On neither of these islands can sufficient quantities of fresh groundwater be found. Redonda

2000-534: Is thought to refer either to the male inhabitants of the island, or the bearded fig trees present there. Antigua was first settled by archaic age Indigenous hunter-gatherers called the Ciboney . Carbon dating has established the earliest settlements started around 3100 BC. They were succeeded by the ceramic age pre-Columbian Arawak -speaking Saladoid people who migrated from the lower Orinoco River . They introduced agriculture, raising, among other crops,

2100-627: The 2004 Antiguan general election , which was won by Winston Baldwin Spencer 's United Progressive Party (UPP). Winston Baldwin Spencer was Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 2004 to 2014. However the UPP lost the 2014 Antiguan general election , with the ABLP returning to power under Gaston Browne . ABLP won 15 of the 17 seats in the 2018 snap election under the leadership of incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne. In 2016, Nelson's Dockyard

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2200-604: The Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) (Premier from 1967 to 1971 and 1976 to 1981) and the Progressive Labour Movement (PLM) of George Walter (Premier 1971–1976). Eventually, Antigua and Barbuda gained full independence on 1 November 1981; Vere Bird became prime minister of the new country. The country opted to remain within the Commonwealth , retaining Queen Elizabeth as head of state , with

2300-773: The British Virgin Islands and Martinique . The British Virgin Islands were always problematic for currency purposes due to their proximity to the Danish West Indies , which became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917. Officially, the British Virgin Islands used to use sterling , but in practice the situation was more complicated and involved the circulation of French francs and U.S. dollars . In 1951,

2400-959: The Caribbean Community , the Alliance of Small Island States , and the World Trade Organization . Antigua and Barbuda's foreign policy has been described by Gaston Browne as "we are friends of all; enemies of none". Antigua and Barbuda has rejected the notion that it is in any country's "backyard". Antigua and Barbuda usually maintains close relations with other Small Island Developing States , and has hosted various summits on that subject. The United Nations has also praised Antigua and Barbuda for its "United Nations-based multilateralism" efforts. Antigua and Barbuda also has close relations with many Caribbean countries and territories, especially Montserrat , which Antigua and Barbuda accepted 3,000 refugees from in 1997 after

2500-628: The Coinage Act of 1857 . Many other currencies around the world, such as the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan , were initially based on the Spanish dollar and other 8-real coins. Most theories trace the origin of the "$ " symbol , which originally had two vertical bars, to the pillars of Hercules wrapped in ribbons that appear on the reverse side of the Spanish dollar. The term peso was used in Spanish to refer to this denomination, and it became

2600-492: The Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles . The country consists of two major islands, Antigua and Barbuda , which are approximately 40 km (25 mi) apart, and several smaller islands, including Great Bird , Green , Guiana , Long , Maiden , Prickly Pear , York , and Redonda . The permanent population is approximately 97,120 (2019 estimates), with 97% residing in Antigua. St. John's , Antigua,

2700-662: The New York Stock Exchange converted first to pricing in sixteenths of a dollar on 24 June 1997, and then in 2001 to decimal pricing. Long tied to the lore of piracy , "pieces of eight" were manufactured in the Spanish Americas and transported in bulk back to Spain, making them a very tempting target for seagoing pirates. In the Far East , it also arrived in the form of the Philippine peso in

2800-763: The Philippines as part of the Spanish East Indies of the Spanish colonial empire through the Manila galleons that transported Mexican silver peso to Manila in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade , where it would be exchanged for Philippine and Chinese goods , since silver was the only foreign commodity China would accept. In Oriental trade, Spanish dollars were often stamped with Chinese characters known as "chop marks" which indicated that particular coin had been assayed by

2900-759: The Progressive Labour Movement government (predecessor of the UPP) from 1971 to 1976, and the United Progressive Party government from 2004 until 2014. On Barbuda, dominant party is traditionally the Barbuda People's Movement , being the only political grouping in the Barbuda Council since 2023 . Antigua and Barbuda is composed of six parishes and two dependencies . Saint John is the most populous parish, home to well over half of Antigua and Barbuda's population. During colonial times,

3000-592: The Soufrière Hills eruption. Many policies adopted by the Antiguan and Barbudan government have also often had an impact on Montserrat, due to Antigua and Barbuda hosting the only air and transportation links into the territory. The Minister of Finance, Corporate Governance & Public Private Partnerships is responsible for the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force , the country's military. The Minister of Legal Affairs, Public Safety, Immigration and Labour

3100-459: The Spanish dollar of $ 1 = 4 shillings 4 pence. It succeeded in Jamaica , Bermuda , and British Honduras because the authorities in those territories set aside the official ratings and used the more realistic rating of $ 1 = 4 shillings. The reality of the rating between the dollar and the pound was based on the silver content of the Spanish pieces of eight as compared to the gold content of

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3200-890: The Supreme Court including the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and finally the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council , the country's final court. Antiguan and Barbudan voters rejected a proposal to make the Caribbean Court of Justice the final court in 2018. Antigua and Barbuda is composed of three magistrates' courts districts, and is part of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court system. The acting chief justice of

3300-577: The piece of eight ( Spanish : real de a ocho , dólar , peso duro , peso fuerte or peso ), is a silver coin of approximately 38 mm (1.5 in) diameter worth eight Spanish reales . It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content 25.563 g (0.8219 ozt) fine silver. It was widely used as the first international currency because of its uniformity in standard and milling characteristics. Some countries countermarked

3400-614: The 15th to the 19th centuries the coin was minted with several different designs at various mints in Spain and the New World , having gained wide acceptance beyond Spain's borders. Thanks to the vast silver deposits that were found mainly in Potosí in modern-day Bolivia and to a lesser extent in Mexico (for example, at Taxco and Zacatecas ), and to silver from Spain's possessions throughout

3500-929: The 16th century: the Burgundian Cross Thaler ( Bourgondrische Kruisdaalder ), the German-inspired Rijksdaalder , and the Dutch lion dollar ( leeuwendaalder ). The latter coin was used for Dutch trade in the Middle East, in the Dutch East Indies and West Indies, and in the Thirteen Colonies of North America. For the English North American colonists, however, the Spanish peso or "piece of eight" has always held first place, and this coin

3600-491: The 19th century when the peso was divided into 100 centavos. However, monetary turbulence in Spain beginning under the reign of King Philip II resulted in the dollar being subdivided as follows in Spain only: Spain's adoption of the peseta in 1869 and its joining the Latin Monetary Union meant the effective end of the last vestiges of the Spanish dollar in Spain itself. However, the 5-peseta coin (or duro )

3700-447: The 19th century, with the peso at 27.07 grams (0.955 oz) of 0.9028 fine silver, and the escudo at 3.383 grams (0.1193 oz) of 0.875 fine gold. The Mexican peso or 8-real coin continued to be a popular international trading coin throughout the 19th century. After 1918, the peso was reduced in size and fineness, with further reductions in the 1940s and 1950s. However, 2- (1921), 5- (1947) and 10-peso (1955) coins were minted during

3800-453: The Americas, mints in Mexico and Peru also began to strike the coin. The main New World mints for Spanish dollars were at Potosí , Lima , and Mexico City (with minor mints at Bogotá , Popayán , Guatemala City , and Santiago ), and silver dollars from these mints could be distinguished from those minted in Spain by the Pillars of Hercules design on the reverse. The dollar or peso was divided into 8 reales in Spanish Latin America until

3900-409: The BWI$ circulated. In 1982, a new series of coins was introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 cents and 1 dollar. The 1 and 5 cent coins were scalloped in shape while the 2 cent coin was square. These three were struck in aluminum. The 10 and 25 cent coins were round and cupro-nickel. The dollar was aluminum bronze and also round. The round, aluminum bronze dollar coin was replaced in 1989 with

4000-451: The Barbudan one. When compared to Antiguan Creole , Standard English was the language of choice in the years leading up to Antigua and Barbuda's attainment of their independence. The Antiguan Creole language is looked down upon by the upper and middle classes in general. The Antiguan Creole language is discouraged from use in the educational system, and instruction is carried out in Standard (British) English instead. A significant number of

4100-420: The British gold sovereign . A second imperial order-in-council was passed in 1838 with the correct rating of $ 1 = 4 shillings 2 pence. In the years following the 1838 order-in-council, the British West Indies territories began to enact local legislation for the purposes of assimilating their monies of account with the British pound sterling. Gold discoveries in Australia in 1851 drove the silver dollar out of

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4200-450: The British Virgin Islands adopted the British West Indies dollar which at that time operated in conjunction with the sterling coinage, and in 1959 they changed over officially to the U.S. dollar . Martinique , as part of France , uses the euro as its currency. British Guiana and Barbados had previously been members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union but withdrew in 1966 and 1972, respectively. Trinidad and Tobago had been

4300-400: The British Virgin Islands joined the arrangement, but this led to discontent because that territory was more naturally drawn to the currency of the neighbouring U.S. Virgin Islands . In 1961, the British Virgin Islands withdrew from the arrangement and adopted the U.S. dollar. Until 1955, the BWI$ existed only as banknotes in conjunction with sterling fractional coinage. Decimal coins replaced

4400-417: The British West Indies dollar of the now defunct West Indies Federation was replaced at par by the Eastern Caribbean dollar and the BCCB was replaced by the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority or ECCA (established by the Eastern Caribbean Currency Agreement 1965). British Guiana withdrew from the currency union the following year. Grenada , which had used the Trinidad and Tobago dollar from 1964, rejoined

4500-460: The British West Indies territories. The symbol "BWI$ " was frequently used and the currency was known verbally as the "Beewee" (slang for British West Indies) dollar. Shortly thereafter in 1950, the British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB) was set up in Trinidad with the sole right to issue notes and coins of the new unified currency and given the mandate of keeping full foreign exchange cover to ensure convertibility at $ 4 .80 per pound sterling. In 1951,

4600-403: The British coinage was also silver, it represented fractions of the gold sovereign and so its value was based on a gold standard. During this period, and into the nineteenth century, accounts could be kept in either dollars or sterling. Jamaica , Bermuda , and the Bahamas preferred to use sterling accounts whereas British Guiana used dollar accounts. British Guiana used dollar accounts for

4700-401: The British colonies to mean a piece of eight or a Spanish-American dollar, because Spanish gold and silver coins were irregularly shaped and crudely struck before the machine-milled dollar was introduced in 1732. After the introduction of the Guldengroschen in Austria in 1486, the concept of a large silver coin with high purity (sometimes known as "specie" coinage) eventually spread throughout

4800-410: The British government formalized the dollar system of accounts in British Guiana and the Eastern Caribbean territories by introducing the British West Indies dollar (BWI$ ) at the already existing conversion rate of $ 4.80 per pound sterling (or $ 1 = 4 shillings 2 pence). It was one of the many experimental political and economic ventures tested by the British government to form a uniform system within

4900-446: The Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands were already long established users of the sterling accounts system of pounds, shillings, and pence. In 1964 Jamaica ended the legal tender status of the BWI$ and Trinidad and Tobago withdrew from the currency union (adopting the Trinidad and Tobago dollar ) forcing the movement of the headquarters of the BCCB to Barbados and soon the "BWI$ " dollar lost its regional support. In 1965,

5000-411: The EC$ 10, $ 20, $ 50, and $ 100 banknotes. Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda ( UK : / æ n ˈ t iː ɡ ə  ...   b ɑːr ˈ b uː d ə / , US : / æ n ˈ t iː ɡ w ə  ...   b ɑːr ˈ b j uː d ə / ) is a sovereign archipelagic country in the Caribbean . It lies at the conjuncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in

5100-450: The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank issued a new series of banknotes which are like the preceding issues, except for omitting both the barcode and the country code letters which form part of the serial number on current notes. In 2012, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank issued a series of banknotes with Braille features in an effort to provide notes which are easier for blind and visually impaired persons to use. The raised Braille characters on

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5200-463: The Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, 20 and 100 dollars, all featuring Pietro Annigoni's 1956 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in regalia of the Order of the Garter. The first issues in the name of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in 1985 were of the same denominations, with the addition of 10 dollar notes. The last 1 dollar notes were issued in 1989 and 50 dollar notes were introduced in 1993. On 1 April 2008,

5300-402: The Grenadines and Nigeria . An estimated 4,500 American citizens also make their home in Antigua and Barbuda, making their numbers one of the largest American populations in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean. 68.47% of the population was born in Antigua and Barbuda. The language most commonly used in business is English . There is a noticeable distinction between the Antiguan accent and

5400-415: The House of Representatives as an ex officio member. The Attorney-General also attends sittings of the Senate. Any bill except money bills may be introduced in either chamber: money bills may only be introduced in the House. Parliament may not amend the Barbuda Local Government Act without the consent of the Barbuda Council. The judiciary of Antigua and Barbuda is composed of the magistrates' courts,

5500-424: The House of Representatives pass a motion of no confidence, and the Prime Minister does not within seven days resign or advise the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament. The legislative power of Antigua and Barbuda is vested in Parliament, which is composed of the Monarch, the Senate , and the House of Representatives . The Senate is composed of seventeen members, who are appointed by the Governor-General. Ten of

5600-461: The Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. In the 16th century, Count Hieronymus Schlick of Bohemia began minting a silver coin known as a Joachimsthaler , named after Joachimsthal , the valley in the Ore Mountains where the silver was mined. Joachimsthaler was later shortened to thaler or taler , a word that eventually found its way into many European languages including

5700-460: The Spanish tálero and English as dollar . The Joachimsthaler weighed 451 Troy grains (29.2 g; 0.94 ozt) of silver. These coins' success led to similar thaler s being minted in Burgundy and France and their ultimate succession by the long-lived Reichsthaler of the Holy Roman Empire , used from the 16th to 19th centuries, of 25.984 g (0.8354 ozt) pure silver. The Netherlands also introduced its own dollars in

5800-400: The Spanish dollar so it could be used as their local currency. Because the Spanish dollar was widely used in Europe, the Americas, and the Far East, it became the first world currency by the 16th century. The Spanish dollar was the coin upon which the original United States dollar was based (at 0.7735 troy ounces or 24.06 grams), and it remained legal tender in the United States until

5900-406: The St. John's Development Corporation has since consumed most of its functions. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade & Barbuda Affairs is responsible for overseeing the foreign relations of Antigua and Barbuda. The current minister is Paul Chet Greene . Antigua and Barbuda is a founding member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , as well as a member of the United Nations ,

6000-426: The Supreme Court is Mario Michel , serving since 5 May 2024. Since the 1990s, the two major parties in Antigua have been the centre-right (formerly left-wing) Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party , and the left-wing social democratic United Progressive Party . The Labour Party and its predecessors have traditionally been the dominant party on the national level since the 1946 general elections , with brief pauses during

6100-421: The Treasury. Initially this dollar was comparable to the 371–373 grains found in circulating Spanish dollars and aided in its exportation overseas. The restoration of the old 0.9028 fineness in the Mexican peso after 1821, however, increased the latter's silver content to 24.44 g and reduced the export demand for U.S. dollars. Before the American Revolution , owing to British mercantilist policies, there

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6200-407: The West Indies, but it returned again with the great depreciation in the value of silver that followed with Germany's transition to the gold standard between 1871 and 1873. In the years immediately following 1873, there was a fear that the British West Indies might return to a silver standard. As such, legislation was passed in the individual territories to demonetize the silver dollars. Even though

6300-420: The advice of the Barbuda Council , and an independent senator is appointed under the discretion of the Governor-General himself. The House of Representatives is currently composed of seventeen elected members, as well as the Speaker of the House , who is elected by the members of the House itself. The Attorney General , while currently an elected member of Parliament, Steadroy Benjamin , may also be appointed to

6400-723: The ages of 5 and 16 years. The system is modeled on the British educational system. The current Minister of Education, Sport & Creative Industries is Daryll Sylvester Matthew . The adult literacy rate in Antigua and Barbuda is approximately 99%. A majority (77%) of Antiguans are Christians, with the Anglicans (17.6%) being the largest single denomination. Other Christian denominations present are Seventh-day Adventist Church (12.4%), Pentecostalism (12.2%), Moravian Church (8.3%), Roman Catholics (8.2%), Methodist Church (5.6%), Wesleyan Holiness Church (4.5%), Church of God (4.1%), Baptists (3.6%), Mormonism (<1.0%), as well as Jehovah's Witnesses . Antigua and Barbuda

6500-407: The basis for many of the currencies in the former Spanish viceroyalties, including the Argentine , Bolivian , Chilean , Colombian , Costa Rican , Cuban , Dominican , Ecuadorian , Guatemalan , Honduran , Mexican , Nicaraguan , Paraguayan , Philippine , Puerto Rican , Peruvian , Salvadoran , Uruguayan , and Venezuelan pesos. Of these, "peso" remains the name of the official currency in

6600-417: The breakup of the federation in 1962, it became one of the West Indies Associated States in 1967. Following a period of internal self-governance, it gained full independence from the United Kingdom on 1 November 1981. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Commonwealth and a Commonwealth realm ; it is a constitutional monarchy with Charles III as its head of state. The economy of Antigua and Barbuda

6700-411: The coins out of the colony, and to double their number, the centres of the coins were punched out. The punched centre, known as the "dump", was valued at 15 pence , and the outer rim, known as the " holey dollar ", was worth five shillings . This was indicated by overstamping the two new coins. The obverse of the holey dollar was stamped the words "New South Wales" and the date, 1813, and the reverse with

6800-418: The colonies came with an imperial order-in-council dated 1825. This move was inspired by a number of factors. The United Kingdom was now operating a very successful gold standard in relation to the gold sovereign that was introduced in 1816, and there was a desire to extend this system to the colonies. In addition to this, there was that the supply of Spanish dollars ( pieces of eight ) had been cut off as

6900-415: The common currency arrangement in 1968. Barbados withdrew from the currency union in 1972, following which the ECCA headquarters were moved to St. Kitts. Between 1965 and 1983, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued the EC$ , with banknotes from 1965 and coins from 1981. The EC$ is now issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank , based in the city of Basseterre , in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The bank

7000-633: The coordination of Antigua and Barbuda's national security. The National Security Adviser is a member of the council and is responsible for the gathering of intelligence and information on national security matters. The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda is the national police department. The Special Service Unit is Antigua and Barbuda's police tactical unit . The Police Force is composed of four lettered regional divisions, and subordinated service districts. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Antigua and Barbuda since July 2022. Spanish dollars The Spanish dollar , also known as

7100-465: The existing Spanish dollar currency system right up until the late 1870s. In 1822, the British government coined 1 ⁄ 4 , 1 ⁄ 8 , and 1 ⁄ 16 fractional 'Anchor dollars' for use in Mauritius and the British West Indies (but not Jamaica ). A few years later copper fractional dollars were coined for Mauritius , Sierra Leone , and the British West Indies . The next attempts to introduce British sterling silver coinage to

7200-401: The famous Antigua Black Pineapple ( Ananas comosus ), corn , sweet potatoes , chiles , guava , tobacco, and cotton. Later on the Caribs settled the island. Christopher Columbus was the first European to sight the islands in 1493. The Spanish did not colonise Antigua until after a combination of European and African diseases, malnutrition, and slavery eventually extirpated most of

7300-511: The first governor , Sir Wilfred Jacobs , as governor-general . Succeeding Sir Wilfred Jacobs were Sir James Carlisle (June 10, 1993 – June 30, 2007), Dame Louise Lake-Tack (July 17, 2007 – August 14, 2014.), and the present governor, Sir Rodney Williams: (August 14, 2014 – present). The first two decades of Antigua's independence were dominated politically by the Bird family and the ABLP, with Vere Bird ruling from 1981 to 1994, followed by his son Lester Bird from 1994 to 2004. Though providing

7400-521: The following rebuilding efforts on Barbuda that were estimated to cost at least $ 100 million, the government announced plans to revoke a century-old law of communal land ownership by allowing residents to buy land; a move that has been criticised as promoting " disaster capitalism ". Limestone formations, rather than volcanic activity, have had the most impact on the topography of both Antigua and Barbuda, which are both relatively low-lying islands. Boggy Peak, also known as Mt. Obama from 2008 to 2016,

7500-624: The island are further made worse by climate change , where, not unlike other island nations affected by climate change , sea level rise and increased weather variability, create increased pressures on the communities on the islands and the land, through processes like coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion . Antigua has a population of 93,219, mostly made up of people of West African , British, and Portuguese descent. The ethnic distribution consists of 91% Black, 4.4% mixed race, 1.7% White, and 2.9% other (primarily East Indian ). Most Whites are of British descent. Christian Levantine Arabs and

7600-415: The island has since remained uninhabited. Part of the Leeward Islands colony, Antigua and Barbuda became part of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. Antigua and Barbuda subsequently became an associated state of the United Kingdom with full internal autonomy on 27 February 1967. The 1970s were dominated by discussions as to the islands' future and the rivalry between Vere Bird of

7700-462: The main islands. Rainfall averages 990 mm (39 in) per year, with the amount varying widely from season to season. In general the wettest period is between September and November. The islands generally experience low humidity and recurrent droughts. Temperatures average 27 °C (80.6 °F), with a range from 23 °C (73.4 °F) to 29 °C (84.2 °F) in the winter to from 25 °C (77.0 °F) to 30 °C (86.0 °F) in

7800-516: The members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, these members being known as government senators. An eleventh government senator is also appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, who must be an inhabitant of Barbuda. Four of the members are appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition , these senators being known as opposition senators. One of the members is appointed on

7900-759: The names "yuan" and "dollar" in the Chinese language. Other currencies also derived from the dollar include the Japanese yen , Korean won , Philippine peso , Malaysian ringgit , French Indochinese piastre , etc. since it was widely traded across the Far East in the East Indies and the East Asia . Contemporary names used for Spanish dollars in Qing dynasty China include běnyáng (本洋), shuāngzhù (双柱), zhùyáng (柱洋), fóyáng (佛洋), fótóu (佛頭), fóyín (佛銀), and fótóuyín (佛頭銀). The "fó" element in those Chinese names referred to

8000-511: The native population; smallpox was probably the greatest killer. The English settled on Antigua in 1632; Christopher Codrington settled on Barbuda in 1685. Tobacco and then sugar was grown, worked by a large population of slaves transported from West Africa, who soon came to vastly outnumber the European settlers. The English maintained control of the islands, repulsing an attempted French attack in 1666. The brutal conditions endured by

8100-547: The obverse of the coins. She was the head of state of all the states and territories using the EC$ , except for Dominica . Dominica is nevertheless a member of the Commonwealth of Nations which now recognizes King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth . Queen Anne's proclamation of 1704 was the first attempt to introduce sterling currency to the British West Indies , however it failed to displace

8200-695: The only recognised form of currency and ended any legitimate use of the holey dollar and dump in the Australian colonies. The Coinage Act of 1792 created the United States Mint and initially defined the United States dollar at par with the Spanish dollar due to its international reputation: By far the leading specie coin circulating in America was the Spanish silver dollar, defined as consisting of 387 grains of pure silver. The dollar

8300-560: The parishes were governed by parish vestries, however, the parishes now lack any sort of government. Since the 2023 general elections, various proposals have been made to establish parish councils, however, as of June 2024, none have been established. The dependency of Redonda is part of the parish of Saint John under the Redonda Annexation Act, in Magistrates' District "A". Local government in Antigua and Barbuda

8400-708: The purpose of assisting in the transition from the Dutch guilder system of currency to the British pound sterling system. In the Eastern Caribbean territories the private sector preferred to use dollar accounts whereas the government preferred to use sterling accounts. In some of the Eastern Caribbean territories, notes were issued by various private banks, denominated in dollars equivalent to 4 shillings 2 pence . See Antigua dollar , Barbadian dollar , Dominican dollar , Grenadian dollar , Guyanese dollar , Saint Kitts dollar , Saint Lucia dollar , Saint Vincent dollar and Trinidad and Tobago dollar . In 1946,

8500-439: The rest of Europe. Monetary reform in Spain brought about the introduction of an 8-real (or 1-peso) coin in 1497, minted to the following standards- This was supplemented in 1537 by the gold escudo , minted at 68 to a mark of gold 0.917 fine (fineness reduced to 0.906 in 1742 and 0.875 in 1786). It was valued at 15–16 reales or approximately 2 dollars. The famed Gold Doubloon was worth 2 escudos or approximately 4 dollars. From

8600-481: The same period with sizes and fineness similar to the old peso. After the colony of New South Wales was founded in Australia in 1788, it ran into the problem of a lack of coinage, particularly since trading vessels took coins out of the colony in exchange for their cargo. In 1813, Governor Lachlan Macquarie made creative use of £10,000 in Spanish dollars sent by the British government. To make it difficult to take

8700-502: The situation as follows: "Public utilities need to be rebuilt in their entirety... It is optimistic to think anything can be rebuilt in six months ... In my 25 years in disaster management, I have never seen something like this." Like other island nations , Antigua and Barbuda faces unique environmental issues created by its proximity to the ocean, and small size. These include pressures on drinking water resources, natural ecosystems, and deforestation more generally. Existing issues on

8800-495: The slaves led to revolts in 1701 and 1729 and a planned revolt in 1736, the last led by Prince Klaas , though it was discovered before it began and the ringleaders were executed. Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833, affecting the economy. This was exacerbated by natural disasters such as the 1843 earthquake and the 1847 hurricane. Mining occurred on the isle of Redonda , however, this ceased in 1929 and

8900-734: The sterling coins in 1955. These decimal coins were denominated in cents, with each cent worth one halfpenny in sterling. In 1958, the West Indies Federation was established and the BWI$ was its currency. However, although Jamaica (including the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands ) was part of the West Indies Federation, it retained the Jamaican pound , despite adopting the BWI$ as legal tender from 1954. Jamaica,

9000-671: The summer and autumn. The coolest period is between December and February. Hurricanes strike on an average of once a year, including the powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma , on 6 September 2017, which damaged 95% of the structures on Barbuda. Some 1,800 people were evacuated to Antigua. Officials quoted by Time indicated that over $ 100 million would be required to rebuild homes and infrastructure. Philmore Mullin, Director of Barbuda's National Office of Disaster Services, said that "all critical infrastructure and utilities are non-existent – food supply, medicine, shelter, electricity, water, communications, waste management". He summarised

9100-519: The upgraded notes feature a cricket theme in the form of balls and stumps. These characters have been added to the 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar notes. In 2019, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank introduced a new family of notes produced in polymer substrate and presented in a vertical format. The 2012 issue included raised braille elements for the visually-impaired in the form of a cricket ball and stumps. These were added to

9200-498: The words "five shillings". The obverse of the dump was stamped with a crown, the words "New South Wales" and the date, 1813, and the reverse with the words "fifteen pence". The mutilated coins became the first official currency produced specifically for circulation in Australia. The expedient was relatively short lived. The British Parliament passed the Sterling Silver Money Act in 1825, which made British coins

9300-426: The words that are used in the Antiguan dialect are derived from both the British and African languages. This is readily apparent in phrases such as "Innit?" which literally translates to "Isn't it?" Many common island proverbs can be traced back to Africa, such as the pidgin language. Approximately 10,000 people are able to speak in Spanish. Education in Antigua and Barbuda is compulsory and free for children between

9400-513: Was a chronic shortage of British currency in Britain's colonies. Trade was often conducted with Spanish dollars that had been obtained through illicit trade with the West Indies . Spanish coinage was legal tender in the United States until the Coinage Act of 1857 discontinued the practice. The pricing of equities on U.S. stock exchanges in 1 ⁄ 8 -dollar denominations persisted until

9500-527: Was also called the "dollar" as early as 1581. After the Declaration of American Independence , the United States dollar was introduced in 1792 at par with this coin at 371.25 grains = 0.7735 troy ounces = 24.0566 g. Alexander Hamilton arrived at these numbers based on a treasury assay of the average fine silver content of a selection of worn Spanish dollars. The term cob was used in Ireland and

9600-422: Was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Most of Barbuda was devastated in early September 2017 by Hurricane Irma , which brought winds with speeds reaching 295 km/h (185 mph). The storm damaged or destroyed 95% of the island's buildings and infrastructure, leaving Barbuda "barely habitable" according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Nearly everyone on the island was evacuated to Antigua. Amidst

9700-533: Was divided into "pieces of eight," or "bits," each consisting of one-eighth of a dollar. Spanish dollars came into the North American colonies through lucrative trade with the West Indies. The Spanish silver dollar had been the world's outstanding coin since the early 16th century, and was spread partially by dint of the vast silver output of the Spanish colonies in Latin America. More important, however,

9800-571: Was established by an agreement (the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Agreement) signed at Port of Spain on 5 July 1983. The exchange rate of $ 4.80 = £1 sterling (equivalent to the old $ 1 = 4s 2d) continued until 1976 for the new Eastern Caribbean dollar. For a wider outline of the history of currency in the region see Currencies of the British West Indies . Until 1981, the coins of

9900-439: Was slightly smaller and lighter but was also of high purity (90%) silver. In the 1990s, commemorative 2,000-peseta coins were minted, similar in size and weight to the dollar. Following independence in 1821, Mexican coinage of silver reales and gold escudos followed that of Spanish lines until decimalization and the introduction of the peso worth 8 reales or 100 centavos. It continued to be minted to Spanish standards throughout

10000-497: Was that the Spanish dollar, from the 16th to the 19th century, was relatively the most stable and least debased coin in the Western world. The Coinage Act of 1792 specified that the U.S. dollar would contain 371.25 grains (24.057 g) pure or 416 grains (26.96 g) standard silver. This specification was based on the average weight of a random selection of worn Spanish dollars which Alexander Hamilton ordered to be weighed at

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