Parishes and dependencies of Antigua and Barbuda
{{short description|none}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2014}}
{{Use Antiguan and Barbudan English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}{{Infobox subdivision type
| territory = Antigua and Barbuda
| current_number = 6 parishes, 2 dependencies
| number_date =
| status =
| population_range = 1,634 (Barbuda) - 51,737 (Saint John Parish)
| subdivision = Major divisions
| government = Vestry (created in 1692, inactive), Parish councils (proposed during the 2023 Antiguan general election)
| name = Parishes and Dependencies
| map = Antigua parishes english.png
| area_range = 24.41 sq.km (Saint George Parish) - 160.58 sq.km (Barbuda)
}}
{{Politics 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.{{efn|name=dependency}}
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.{{cite web | url=https://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-373.pdf | title=Chapter 373 The Redonda Annexaction Act | publisher=Government of Antigua and Barbuda | date=26 March 1872 | accessdate=18 January 2025}}{{Cite web| title=The Barbuda local government act | url=http://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-44.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712144551/http://laws.gov.ag:80/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-44.pdf | archive-date=2019-07-12}}
History
Antigua's first-level administrative divisions were based on Divisions, which were later joined 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.
On 24 August 1681, the five founding parishes of Antigua—Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, and Saint Philip and Saint Peter—were formally organised. In 1725, Saint Peter was divided into the Saint Peter as it is known today and Saint George.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ib5FAAAAcAAJ&q=parish&pg=PA245 |title=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 |date=1805 |publisher=Bagster |language=en}}
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. Each parish also had a vestry.
List
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| No
!Parish or dependency !Capital !Largest city !Area !Population !Population density |
|---|
| {{mono|01}}
| align="right" | 24.41 | align="right" | 8,055 | align="right" | 329.99 |
| {{mono|02}}
| colspan="2" | St. John's | align="right" | 66.96 | align="right" | 51,737 | align="right" | 772.66 |
| {{mono|03}}
| Old Road | align="right" | 63.55 | align="right" | 7,341 | align="right" | 115.16 |
| {{mono|04}}
| Falmouth | align="right" | 45.27 | align="right" | 8,128 | align="right" | 179.54 |
| {{mono|05}}
| Parham | align="right" | 32.37 | align="right" | 5,325 | align="right" | 164.5 |
| {{mono|06}}
| align="right" | 40.67 | align="right" | 3,347 | align="right" | 82.3 |
| {{mono|07}}
| Barbuda | colspan="2" | Codrington | align="right" | 160.58 | align="right" | 1,634 | align="right" | 10.18 |
| {{mono|08}}
| Redonda{{efn|name=dependency}} | colspan="2" align="center" | N/A | align="right" | 1.50 | align="right" | 0 | align="right" | 0 |
| style="background:#CCF;font-weight:bold"
|{{mono| -}} | colspan="2" | St. John's | align="right" | 435.31 | align="right" | 85,567 | align="right" | 196.57 |
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.{{Cite web |title=Ethnicity in All Saints Northeast |url=https://redatam.org/binatg/RpWebUtilities.exe/reporte.pdf?LFN=RpBases%5CTempo%5C36099%5C~tmp_3609961.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105202121/https://redatam.org/binatg/RpWebUtilities.exe/reporte.pdf?LFN=RpBases%5CTempo%5C36099%5C~tmp_3609961.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-05 |access-date=2023-11-05}}{{Cite web |title=Ethnicity in Parham |url=https://redatam.org/binatg/RpWebUtilities.exe/reporte.pdf?LFN=RpBases%5CTempo%5C74906%5C~tmp_7490601.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816000232/https://redatam.org/binatg/RpWebUtilities.exe/reporte.pdf?LFN=RpBases%5CTempo%5C74906%5C~tmp_7490601.pdf |archive-date=2023-08-16}}
| align="center" style="margin-center:1em;" |
See also
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Parishes of Antigua and Barbuda}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090326142645/http://www.unccd.int/actionprogrammes/lac/national/2005/antigua_and_barbuda-eng.pdf UNccd.int: Source of accurate Antigua and Barbuda area figures]
{{Parishes and dependencies of Antigua and Barbuda}}
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of North American countries}}
{{Americas topic|Administrative divisions of}}