Parishes and dependencies of Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is an island nation made up of: Antigua island which is divided into six parishes; and of the two dependencies of Barbuda island and Redonda island.

Parishes and Dependencies
Location	Antigua and Barbuda
Number	6 parishes, 2 dependencies
Populations	1,634 (Barbuda) - 51,737 (Saint John Parish)
Areas	24.41 sq.km (Saint George Parish) - 160.58 sq.km (Barbuda)
Government	Vestry (created in 1692, inactive), Parish councils (proposed during the 2023 Antiguan general election)
Subdivisions	Major divisions

Although Barbuda and Redonda are called dependencies, they are integral parts of the state, making them essentially administrative divisions. Dependency is simply their title. Redonda was annexed into Saint John and unlike Barbuda, is not an autonomous island, instead, it is a first-level administrative division subordinate to Saint John.^[1][2]

History

Antigua's first-level administrative divisions were based on Divisions, which were later joined together to form the island's five parishes. Prior to the creation of parishes, Divisions served as the basis for Antigua's administrative divisions. Despite the fact that divisions have never been eliminated, major divisions have now taken over the role of becoming Antigua's second-level administrative divisions.^[1][3]

On January 11, 1692, the five founding parishes of Antigua and Barbuda—Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, and Saint Philip and Saint Peter—were formally organized into what are now known as the Parishes of Antigua and Barbuda. In 1725, Saint Peter was divided into the Saint Peter as it is known today and Saint George.^[3]

The office of "justice" served as the top government official in parishes in the past; but, this role is no longer held in any parishes.^[3] Each parish also had a vestry.^[3]

List

No	Parish or Dependency	Capital	Largest City	Area (km^2)	Population (Census 2011)
01	Saint George	Fitches Creek	Piggotts	24.41	8,055
02	Saint John	St. John's		66.96	51,737
03	Saint Mary	Old Road	Bolans	63.55	7,341
04	Saint Paul	Falmouth	Liberta	45.27	8,128
05	Saint Peter	Parham	All Saints	32.37	5,325
06	Saint Philip	St. Philip's	Willikies	40.67	3,347
07	Barbuda	Codrington		160.58	1,634
08	Redonda	N/A		1.50	0
-	Antigua and Barbuda	St. John's		435.31	85,567

Parish capitals

There are seven parish/dependency capitals in Antigua and Barbuda. One of these, St. John's, serves as the national seat of government. Each parish capital contains the parish church, while the capital of Barbuda contains the administrative offices of the Barbuda Council. Most capitals have town status, however, Codrington is a village, Fitches Creek is an estate, and St. John's is the sole city in the country.

With the exception of St. John's and Codrington, the majority of parish/dependency capitals are not the largest settlements in the parish. Parham is the second-largest city in Saint Peter; that being said, it would be the largest if the population of All Saints—which is spread across three parishes—were not included. Nonetheless, compared to Parham, the population of the sector of All Saints in Saint Peter is considerably higher.^[4][5]

Parish/dependency	Capital	Population (2011)	Percentage of parish/dependency population living in capital^[6]	Foreign born population (%)	Status	Image	Ref(s)
Saint John	St. John's	21,643	41.8%	36.71%	City		^[7]^[8]^[9]
Saint George	Fitches Creek	532	6.6%	34.07%	Estate		^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]
Saint Peter	Parham	1,307	24.5%	18.86%	Town		^[5]^[14]^[15]
Saint Philip	St. Philip's	131	3.9%	20.72%	Town		^[16]^[17]^[18]
Saint Paul	Falmouth	240	2.95%	23.21%	Town		^[19]^[14]^[20]
Saint Mary	Old Road	1,251	17.04%	9.27%	Town		^[21]^[14]^[22]
Barbuda	Codrington	796	48.7%	11.54%	Village		^[23]^[24]^[25]
Redonda^[a]	N/A			N/A

See also

• ISO 3166-2:AG
• List of Caribbean First-level Subdivisions by Total Area
• Commonwealth Local Government Forum-Americas
• Major Divisions of Antigua and Barbuda

Notes

1. Though Redonda is a dependency of Antigua and Barbuda, it is administered by Saint John

References

1. http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-373.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
2. http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-44.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
3. The Laws of the Island of Antigua: Consisting of the Acts of the Leeward Islands, Commencing 8. Novem. 1690 Ending 21. April 1798, and the Acts of Antigua Commencing 10. April 1668, Ending 7. May 1804 : with Prefixed to Each Volume, Analytical Tables of the Titles of the Acts, and at the End of the Whole, a Copious Digested Index. Bagster. 1805.
4. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
5. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2023.
6. 2011 Population and Housing Census (PDF).
7. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2024.
8. Public Health Act (PDF).
9. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
10. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2024.
11. Lands of Antigua and Barbuda Sugar Factory Limited and the Antigua and Barbuda Syndicate Estates Limited (Vesting) Act (PDF). p. 2.
12. Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1858). Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons. Ordered to be printed.
13. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
14. The Laws of the Island of Antigua: Consisting of the Acts of the Leeward Islands, Commencing 8th November 1690, Ending 21st April 1798; and the Acts of Antigua, Commencing 10th April 1668, Ending 7th May 1804. Samuel Bagster. 1805. p. 88.
15. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
16. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2024.
17. "Antigua - Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center". collections.leventhalmap.org. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
18. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
19. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2024.
20. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
21. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
22. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
23. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
24. Barbuda Act (PDF). p. 6.
25. (PDF). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links

 

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