The Nation

This country is located in the Eastern Caribbean and is comprised of three main islands with a total land area of 170 square miles and 71.000 inhabitants :

- Antigua
- Barbuda
..and the uninhabited
- Redonda

The state of Antigua and Barbuda is a Constitutional Monarchy headed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. The political system is a Parliamentary Democracy. It has a bicameral legislature comprising an elected house of Representatives and a Senate.

The country has been independent since 1981 and is a member of the:

- United Nations (UN) and its subsidiary organs such as UNESCO
- International Maritime Organisation (IMO) (as a subsidiary body of the UN)
- The Commonwealth
- Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and common market (CARICOM)

The capital is St.John´s and the official language is English.

Key industries are tourism and financial services.

The monetary unit is the East Caribbean dollar.

The National Maritime Authority is the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS) with its principal office in St.John´s which maintains an international ships register.
There is another ADOMS office, located in Germany, which is engaged in maritime issues related to the registration of ships intended to fly the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.