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Antigua-Barbuda

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Antigua was one of the first Caribbean islands to actively encourage tourism, beginning in the late 1960s; the late 1980s brought another phase of major development. Tourism and financial services are now the main components of the service sector which accounts for over three-quarters of the Antiguan economy. Both have suffered problems in recent years - tourism because of repeated hurricanes, finance because of questionable associations with money-laundering operations. For instance, In June 2000, Antigua was identified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as one of 35 "tax havens" whose financial laws are considered inadequate. It has until 2005 to tighten its regime or face sanctions.
Fears of an over-reliance on tourism and finance have led the Government to try and diversify the economy into manufacturing, agriculture and fisheries. Local agriculture and fisheries have been promoted to reduce dependency on imported food: a range of fruit and vegetables are now produced and a number of fish farms have been established. There are a number of light industries producing clothing, paper, furniture and household appliances. A final source of revenue for the Government is the rent on two American military bases. Antigua & Barbuda has a large trade and balance of payments deficits and relies heavily on foreign aid. The country's main trading partners are the USA, the UK and Canada, and countries within the CARICOM Caribbean trading bloc, of which Antigua & Barbuda is a member.

Antigua and Barbuda is a constitutional monarchy, with the British Sovereign as Head of State. The Prime Minister advises on the appointment of the Governor General, who represents the Sovereign. Parliament has supreme legislative power and comprises the Senate, with 17 appointed members, and the House of Representatives, with 17 members directly elected from single-member constituencies. The judiciary is fully autonomous, and Antigua and Barbuda shares it with five other Eastern Caribbean states. Barbuda has its own local council with wide-ranging powers.