Antigua and Barbuda

Did you know?

• 🏝A picturesque island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea, consisting of two major inhabited islands — Antigua and Barbuda — along with several smaller islands, including the uninhabited, rugged volcanic rock of Redonda.
• 🏳️Its flag, designed by local artist Sir Reginald Samuel and adopted in 1967, is rich in symbolism: red side triangles form a 'V' for victory and freedom; the black stripe honors the African heritage of the people; the rising golden sun on black marks the dawn of a new era, its seven points standing for the six parishes of Antigua and its sister island Barbuda; the blue stripe evokes hope and the Caribbean Sea; the white stripe stands for peace and purity; and the sun-sea-sand palette of yellow, blue and white celebrates the country's natural tourist assets.
• 🏖️A beach for every day of the year — the nation is nicknamed 'the land of 365 beaches', and locals boast you can visit a new one every day without repeating. Barbuda's beaches are famous for their unique pink-hued sand, colored by microscopic pink shells and crushed coral.
• ⛰️A mountain named after Barack Obama — the country's highest point (402 m) was historically Boggy Peak, but on August 4, 2009 (Obama's birthday) it was officially renamed Mount Obama to celebrate his election. The official name was reverted in 2016, but locals still widely use the presidential name.
• 🐍Home to the world's rarest snake — Great Bird Island, a tiny islet off Antigua, is the exclusive home of the Antiguan racer, considered the rarest and most critically endangered snake species on Earth, which conservationists have worked tirelessly to save from extinction.