Location and Climate |
Antigua (pronounced An-tee'ga) and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean , roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin . The sister island of Barbuda (Bar-byew' da) lies 27 miles northeast of Antigua with a land area of 62 square miles. |
|
Sunny and warm all year with soothing trade winds, the average temperature ranges from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall averages only 45 inches, making it the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands , and the northeast trade winds are nearly constant, flagging only in September. Low humidity year-round. |
The largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, Antigua is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108 square miles. Its highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), located in the southwestern corner of the island. Barbuda, a flat coral island with an area of only 68 square miles, lies approximately 30 miles due north. The nation also includes the tiny (0.6 square mile) uninhabited island of Redonda , now a nature preserve. The current population for the nation is approximately 68,000. More information on the island can be found on the official website at www.antigua-barbuda.org |
