Antigua and Barbuda country profile Map Antigua and Barbuda, independent island state, West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It consists of three of the Leeward Islands Antigua and two smaller islands, Barbuda to the north and Redonda, an uninhabited rocky islet, to the southwest. Barbuda is a flat coral island with fine beaches. The climate is tropical, but the islands are subject to drought.
Fishing is important in Barbuda.
Manufactures include refined petroleum, rum, clothing, furniture, and electrical equipment. The country's people are mostly of African descent. Christopher Columbus was the first European to land on the island he named Antigua in 1493. Inhabited by the Carib tribe, the island was not successfully colonized until 1632, when the British established a settlement. Barbuda was colonized by settlers from Antigua in 1661.