Around Antigua and Barbuda Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands in turn are part of the Lesser Antilles Chain. They are flanked by the Caribbean Sea to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Barbuda lies about 30 miles to the north of Antigua.

Answer: True

St John's has been the chief administrative town of the islands since the seventeenth century. It is also the main port of Antigua. Antigua is the larger of the two main islands, with a population of around 69,000. Barbuda has a population of around 1,500 people, most of who live in Codrington, the only town of any size on the island.

Answer: Tourism

Over half of the GDP of Antigua and Barbuda comes from tourism, with around 75% of the workforce being employed in the tourist industry. In colonial times, the main wealth of the islands revolved around the growing of sugar cane.

Answer: Barack Obama

Mount Obama, as it is now known, is situated in the Shekerley Mountains in the southwest of Antigua. It reaches a height of 1319 feet.

Answer: Snake

The Antiguan Racer, or Alsophis antiguae, is a non-venomous snake. When the Spanish first settled in the Islands of Antigua and Barbuda, they inadvertently introduced rats from their ships. The rats were partial to the snakes' eggs, which led to a decline in the Antiguan Racer's population. A somewhat flawed plan led to the introduction of mongooses to control the rat population. As mongooses are active during the day and rats are mainly active at night, the mongooses decimated the local reptile population instead and the Antiguan Racer was wiped out from the larger two islands, with just a small population remaining on Great Bird Island.

A conservation programme has led to an increase in the population of Antiguan Racers, although it is still possibly the world's most endangered snake.

Answer: England

Settlement of Antigua and Barbuda was slow to develop, partly due to the lack of a fresh water supply. Sir Christopher Codrington started a sugar plantation on Antigua in the late seventeenth century, and used Barbuda as a supply base. After this, sugar cane became the main crop of Antigua. In the eighteenth century, Antigua was used as an English naval base.

Answer: Neither has any permanent rivers

The religion of Antigua and Barbuda is predominantly Christian. The average annual rainfall on Antigua and Barbuda is 45", that of Saudi Arabia is around 4". While Antigua consists of six parishes, Saudia Arabia is divided into 13 emirates. Both countries rely heavily on desalination for their fresh water supplies.

Answer: 1981

Although Antigua and Barbuda gained independence in 1981, they have remained a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth). Whilst the British monarch is head of state, the Antiguan and Barbudan Prime Minister is head of government.

Answer: Cricket

Viv Richards, as he is popularly known, was born in St. John's in 1952. He was chosen as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1977. His international cricket career lasted from 1974 to 1991. Although his chief claim to fame lies in his cricketing expertise, his sporting talents were not confined to the cricket field as he also represented Antigua in the qualifying matches of the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Answer: To be exempted from anti-smoking legislation

Unconfirmed stories say that author M P Shiel was crowned King of Redonda at the age of 15, after his father claimed the island. There have been several claimants to the somewhat meaningless title over the years.

Bob Beech, Landlord of the Wellington Arms, Southampton, was 'knighted' by the 'King', Bob the Bald. His enterprising bid to get around the anti-smoking legislation failed, as Redonda is not a country in its own right.