Antigua & Barbuda - The largest of the British Leeward Islands, Antigua has fine beaches and an abundance of historic sites dating from the colonial era. It shares its nationhood with the adjacent island of Barbuda, 40 km to the north, which has just one village and fewer than 2% of the nation's population. Visitors are few to Barbuda, mainly birdies and yachties. Antigua was deforested during the colonial era, leaving most of its area scrubby and marshy. About 65,000 people live on Antigua, and the majority are of African descent. Most visitors do not require a visa.
The capital, St John's, has a population of about 30,000 and a largely West Indian, untouristy atmosphere. Commercial activity rubs shoulders with poverty-induced lassitude, while visitors check out the new shopping complexes. Sandy beaches, turquoise waters and resort accommodation lie away from the capital, beginning with quiet Runaway Bay and the moderate-range resort area around Dickenson Bay to the north, Deep Bay with its shipwreck remains and the rubble of historic Fort Barrington to the west, and the new marina village of Jolly Harbour on the north-west coast. English Harbour in the south of the island brims with history and nautical atmosphere. Foremost is the heavily restored Nelson's Dockyard, an 18th-century British naval base named for the hero who spent the early days of his career there. Hilltop forts, museums and Georgian residences add to the town's history-seeped atmosphere. North-east from English Harbour are the beautiful Half Moon Bay - a largely undeveloped crescent of white-sand beach and turquoise waters overlooked by a resort hotel - and Long Bay - with reef-protected waters, exclusive resorts and a moderately priced condominium-style hotel.