Thursday, June 21, 2012

Antigua and Barbuda - Island of Antigua

 


Antigua, West Indies.

The larger island of the nation of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua boasts 365 beautiful beaches, one for each day of the year. It lies roughly 17 degrees north of the equator in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. It is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide (108 sq. miles). The capital is St. John's.

Sent by Jay from Antigua.

This is from Wikipedia : Antigua, also known as Wadadli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la Antigua — St. Mary of the Old Cathedral. The name Wadadli, comes from the original Amerindian inhabitants, and means approximately "our own". The island's circumference is roughly 87 km (54 mi) and its area 281 km2 (108 sq mi). Its population was 80,161 (at the 2011 Census). The economy is mainly reliant on tourism, with the agricultural sector serving the domestic market.
Over 31,000 people live in the capital city, St. John's, at 17°6′N 61°45′W. The capital is situated in the north-west and has a deep harbour which is able to accommodate large cruise ships. Other leading population settlements are All Saints (3,412) and Liberta(2,239), according to the 2001 census.
English Harbour on the south-eastern coast is famed for its protected shelter during violent storms. It is the site of a restored British colonial naval station called "Nelson's Dockyard" after Captain Horatio Nelson. Today English Harbour and the neighbouring village of Falmouth are internationally famous as a yachting and sailing destination and provisioning centre. During Antigua Sailing Week, at the end of April and beginning of May, the annual world-class regatta brings many sailing vessels and sailors to the island to play sports.
 


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