The twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean is a trending search topic following rumors and reports of an American rapper turned business mogul allegedly jetting off to that destination.
The last time Barbuda, especially, was such a buzzword and talking point was when Hurricane Irma in 1997 destroyed between 90 and 95 person of the housing stock on the island.
Since then, the resilient country has rebuilt and continues to quietly and peacefully exist as a unique piece of paradise in the Northern Caribbean.
That is, until yesterday’s news broke with American news agencies and tabloids positing that the rapper in question fled American Intelligence and Law Enforcement to either Antigua and Barbuda or Cape Verde.
However, many are getting the island of Barbuda wrong. So for those who lack an atlas and do not have a grasp of how to truly use search engines like Google and Bing, here are 10 facts about Antigua and Barbuda, especially as it pertains to its relations to the United States (US):
1. On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone called it Antigua and Barbados. Barbados and Barbuda are synonymous. Barbados is a South Eastern Caribbean island thousands of miles away from Antigua. However, the US Ambassador and Embassy officers reside in Barbados and travel to Antigua and Barbuda frequently
2. Barbuda is not the B in the ABC islands. The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. These Dutch islands are the most Southern of the islands in the Caribbean Sea, just off of South America.
3. Antigua and Barbuda may consist of two namesake islands, but there are also many other smaller islands which are part of the country.
4. The United States of America established diplomatic relations with Antigua and Barbuda in 1981 following its independence from the United Kingdom.
5. Where exactly is Antigua and Barbuda? Geographically, it is at . In relation to other islands and countries, Antigua and Barbuda is Antigua and Barbuda is close to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the North, but it is also situated strategically in the Leeward Islands, near maritime transport lanes of major importance to the United States.
6. A US consular agent resident in Antigua provides emergency assistance and routine citizenship and notarial services to US citizens in Antigua, Barbuda, and Montserrat.
7. Antigua and Barbuda maintains an embassy in the United States at 3234 Prospect St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.
8. Antigua and Barbuda and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
9. As one of thirteen Caribbean partners under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), Antigua and Barbuda also benefits from US counternarcotics and law enforcement assistance focused on disrupting illicit trafficking, strengthening citizen security, and preventing youth crime and violence.
10. The United States and Antigua and Barbuda have an Extradition Treaty.
