Antigua, Caribbean
What first attracted Admiral Horatio Nelson to establish Great Britain's most important Caribbean outpost on Antigua? Possibly the island's warm, steady winds, a complex coastline of safe harbors, and a protective, nearly unbroken wall of coral reef - it would make a perfect place to hide a fleet. Over 200 years later, the same blessed characteristics that appealed to the Royal Navy, make Antigua and Barbuda one of the Caribbean's premier holiday destinations.
The Trade Winds, that once blew British men-of-war safely into English Harbour, now help to create one of the world's leading maritime events, Sailing Week. Antigua's expansive, winding coastline which caused problems for outsiders to navigate, is where today's trekkers encounter a tremendous wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. The coral reefs, once the doom of many marauding enemy ships, now attract snorkelers and scuba divers form the four corners of the earth. The fascinating little island of Barbuda whose reefs once also served to protect the British fleet, is now home to an important bird sanctuary.
Location:
Antigua (pronounced An-tee'ga) and Barbuda are set in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, about 17 degrees north of the equator. Southerly are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, whilst to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin.
Size:
Antigua is the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands, being about 14 miles long by 11 miles wide and encompassing 108 square miles. Antigua's highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), in the southwestern corner of the island. Barbuda is a flat coral island with an area of 68 square miles, lying approximately 30 miles to the north. The nation also includes a tiny (0.6 square mile) uninhabited island, Redonda which is now a nature preserve. The Antigua/Barbuda population is approximately 68,000 and the capital is St. John's.
Climate:
Blissful temperatures range from the mid-seventies in the winter to the mid-eighties in the summer. Annual rainfall is a lowly 45 inches, making it the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean Islands. Northeast trade winds are nearly constant, dipping only in September. Humidity is low, year-round.
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