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Antigua and Barbuda (Spanish for Ancient and Bearded) is an island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, on the sea's boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. There are two major islands, which are close neighbors within the middle of the Leeward Islands, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator.

Pre-ceramic Amerindians were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 BC. Later Arawak and Carib Amerindian tribes populated the islands. The island of Antigua was named Wadadli by these natives and is today called Wadadli by locals. Christopher Columbus landed on his second trip in 1493 and named the island Santa Maria de la Antigua after a church in Seville, Spain. Early settlement by the Spanish was replaced by English rule from 1632 (British rule from 1707 Acts of Union), with a French interlude in 1666. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834.

The islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 November 1981, with Elizabeth II as the first Queen of Antigua and Barbuda.

The ethnic distribution consist of 91% Black or Mulatto, 4.4% Mixed Race, 1.7% White, 2.7% Other. There is a minority of people of Portuguese and mixed Portuguese-African ancestry, due to Portuguese indentured servants brought to the West Indies after the abolition of slavery. The majority of the white population is ethnically Irish and British, while there are also a few Christian Levantine Arabs (primarily of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian descent). There is a small population of Sephardic Jews.
An increasingly large percent of the population live abroad, most notably in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. A minority of the Antiguan residents are immigrants from other countries, particularly Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica with an increasing number of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Nigeria. There is also a significant population of American citizens estimated at 4500 people which would make it one of the largest American citizen populations in the English speaking Eastern Caribbean.
Almost all Antiguans are Christians (74%), with the Anglican Church (about 44%) being the largest denomination. Catholicism is the other significant denomination, with the remainder being other Protestants: including Methodists, Moravians, Pentecostals and Seventh-Day Adventists. There are also Jehovah's Witnesses. Non-Christian religions practiced on the islands include Rastafari, Islam, Judaism, and Baha'i.

Model: NIKON D40
Software: Capture NX 1.0.0 W
Exposure Time: 2/1000 sec
F-Stop: f/11.0
ISO Speed Ratings: 200
Focal Length: 18/1 mm
Date Taken: 2008-05-01 16:34
Metering Mode: Pattern
File Size: 171 kb