Sheltered coves, sheer cliffs, foaming reefs, white, golden and pink sandy beaches – the Caribbean island country of Antigua and Barbuda has it all. It is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago and is known above all for its huge number of beaches of various colors and suitable for every taste. Because of them, it is called “The land of 365 beaches” – as it offers a different bay for every day of the year.
The name of the island counry of Antigua and Barbuda comes from the Spanish words antigua (“ancient”) and barbuda (“beard”). There are actually three islands that make up this lovely Caribbean country, but Redonda, the third, is just an uninhabited rock. They were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 during his second expedition. They were first inhabited by Indian tribes, and later by Arawaks and Caribs. The first colonial settlements were founded by the Spanish and French, but after two centuries the islands became a long time British possession.
Past and Present
The English arrived on the archipelago in 1667 and a little later planted the first plantation with sugar cane. Soon they started growing more cotton and tobacco. To provide themselves with workers, they imported slaves from Africa. Slavery was abolished in 1834. The entire economy of the country is now based on the development of tourism. Its main asset is the already mentioned beaches – exactly 365 in number, with golden-pink sand. The sweetest pineapples in the world grow here, and they are black in color. Low mountains, coral reefs, tropical forests and a year-round temperature between 26 and 32 degrees are a magnet for tourists. The name “Antigua and Barbuda” sounds today like a promise of an earthly paradise.
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