Antigua facts for kids

Turner Beach in Antigua

Antigua (pronounced an-TEE-gah) is a beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea. It's part of a country called Antigua and Barbuda. People sometimes call Antigua by its older name, Wadadli, which means "our own."

This island is about 87 kilometres (54 miles) around. It covers an area of 281 km² (108 square miles). In 2006, about 69,000 people lived there. Antigua is the biggest of the Leeward Islands. It's also the most developed and successful. This is thanks to its fancy tourism industry, online gaming services, and schools, including two medical schools.

A Brief History of Antigua

Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit Antigua. Before him, native people like the Ciboney, Arawak, and Carib tribes lived there. Columbus came to Antigua in 1493. He named the island after Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The British arrived in 1632 and made Antigua their home. They brought enslaved people from Africa to work on large farms. These farms grew sugarcane, which was used to make sugar. In 1834, the enslaved people were finally freed.

Antigua stopped being a part of Britain in 1981. It is now an independent country with Barbuda.