Antigua and Barbuda form an independent state in the Lesser Antilles. While Barbuda remains largely agricultural, Antigua has recently become known as a luxury tourist destination with various sporting  venues, international sailing events, and historical sites of interest.
 

Antigua's 108 square miles are mostly low and undulating, but in the west there are some volcanic rocks that rise to 1300 feet.
 

Antigua's coastline is intricate, with bays and headlands fringed with reefs and shoals.

St. John's, the capital, with a deep-water bay and a population of 22000, is the hub of commerce.

Redcliffe Quay is an area of restored and re-created 19th century warehouses that now house shops and restaurants.
 

St. John's Anglican cathedral is an iconic landmark. It dates to 1683, and was rebuilt in 1746 and 1845.
 

A unique feature in the cathedral is the pitch pine interior structure and cladding to provide lateral reinforcing for earthquake or hurricane loads.
 

The informative Museum of Antigua and Barbuda houses a range of artifacts tracing the history of the country, from Arawak pottery, to a model of a sugar cane plantation, maps of shipwrecks, and a timeline of the slave trade.
 

Betty's Hope was a vast sugar cane plantation established in 1674. Since the collapse of the sugar industry, this stands as a memorial to colonialism and the horrors of slavery.

Antigua and Barbuda became an independent state within the British Commonwealth in 1981. It has a parliamentary system of government.

Antiguans are huge cricket fans and a large Chinese-financed stadium hosts the West Indies League.

English Harbour is one of the Caribbean's largest deep water protected harbours. English Harbour hosts international yachting shows and regattas.
 

UNESCO heritage site Nelson's Dockyard is a restored British colonial naval station, the only Georgian dockyard in the world.

Antigua claims to have 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. Pink-white sands and azure waters are a major attraction.

Vast areas of land that were abandoned when the sugar cane industry collapsed have now regrown with tropical scrub forest.

A drive through the parishes took us past brightly coloured homes and churches.

80% of the economy of Antigua and Barbuda relies on tourism. Sailing, diving, hiking and golfing are popular activities.