Weather
Tropical; little seasonal temperature variation.
Terrain
Mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas.
Currency
East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
Languages
English (official), local dialects
Religion
Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic)
Ethnic groups
black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
History
The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
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