Barbuda

Barbuda
ISS recording by Barbuda (2003)
Waters	Caribbean Sea
Archipelago	Leeward Islands
Geographical location	17 ° 37 ′  N , 61 ° 48 ′  W Coordinates: 17 ° 37 ′  N , 61 ° 48 ′  W
length	24 km
width	14.1 km
surface	161 km²
Highest elevation	Highlands 42  m
Residents	500 3.1 inhabitants / km²
main place	Codrington
Map of Barbuda (before 2017)

Barbuda is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean and belongs to the state of Antigua and Barbuda as a dependency .

geography

The island is about 40 km north of Antigua . About 100 km to the southwest is St. Kitts and Nevis , and to the west-northwest is Saint-Barthélemy .

Barbuda is 161 km² and largely flat. Although the island has miles of sandy beaches and offshore reefs, it was not very touristically developed. About 40% of Barbuda is covered by a bird sanctuary , the Codrington Lagoon National Park (CLNP, 67 km², also Ramsar area and Important Bird Area) in the north-west of the island. The only place on Barbuda is Codrington . There is only one elevation 42  m high.

The island is connected with landing stages in Spanish Point and Palmetto Point , with a ferry connection to Saint John's , the capital of the state on Antigua, and a regional airport (BBQ) in Codrington.

climate

The climate of Barbuda is tropical . The maximum annual temperatures are reached in July and August with an average of 28 ° C. In the winter months of January and February, the average temperature is the coolest at 25 ° C. With an average annual precipitation of 900 to 1100 mm, it is quite dry by Caribbean standards.

fauna and Flora

The Codrington Lagoon is an important breeding ground of many species of birds including the Magnificent Frigatebird . The consequences of Hurricane Irma for nature cannot yet be foreseen. The edge dune of Codrington Lagoon was breached. Feral pets in particular could become a problem.

history

There were already attempts by England and France to colonize the island in the early 17th century, but this failed because of the poor supply of water, the unfavorable climate and the threat from the Caribbean . It was not until 1666 that the English were able to establish a permanent colony. The first settlers were the brothers Christopher and John Codrington, after whom the capital is named. The Codringtons were also sugar-planters on Antigua, and for a long time the dominant family on Barbuda.

Around 1800 the southern tip of the island was secured with a Martello tower , a British type of fortress, the ruin is still standing today.

In 1981 Barbuda was given independence together with the larger neighboring island of Antigua, with a majority of Barbudans pleading to remain with the United Kingdom .

Irma's eye over Barbuda, September 6, 2017, approx. 00:00 UTC ( false color satellite image)

The sparsely populated island with only a few places had around 1,600 inhabitants in 2011 (Census 2011).

In the early morning hours of September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma, in the highest category 5, pulled over Barbuda at around 300 km / h and caused devastating damage. About 95 percent of all goods on the island were destroyed. The 1800 inhabitants were forcibly evacuated to Antigua after the storm; as of October 15, 2017, civilization on Barbuda is considered to be extinct. The rebuilding of the island, which was hit by the Category 5 hurricane, will not be possible without the help of the international community. By the general elections on March 21, 2018, around 500 residents have returned to their old houses on Barbuda. To exercise their right to vote, they must travel to Antigua by ferry, fishing boat, or charter flight.

politics

Until the evacuation after Hurricane Irma there was an elected, nine-member council.

A special feature was the land right on Barbuda. There were no private properties, the land belonged to all residents. Every Barbudan could freely use unused land for building houses or agriculture. It is debatable whether this universal law exists or whether it is just a common law practiced by the Barbudans. The central government tried unsuccessfully to introduce regulated private property with the offer that every Barbudan could buy his land for one dollar. But people on the island are afraid of giving access to external investors.

economy

The fishing for fish and lobsters fed the majority of the population until Hurricane Irma. Tourism was little developed and consisted mainly of nature tourism. There were only five hotels until 2017. Plans for a luxury hotel failed due to popular resistance.

Web links

Commons : Barbuda  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Island of Barbuda . Antigua and Barbuda website
• Barbudaful . Community website from Barbuda, including photo impressions (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Boris Herrmann: Fluch der Keribik , Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14./15. October 2017, p. 3
2. ↑ Climate + Weather Antigua and Barbuda . GEO travel community, accessed on September 9, 2017.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Natural disasters: Extinction due to Hurricane Irma? Spektrum.de, September 15, 2017.
4. ↑ Codrington Lagoon has been breached. In: The Antigua Observer online, September 7, 2017
5. ↑ Census 2011 Population and Housing Census - Book of Statistical Tables I , Antigua Observer Newspaper, PDF 6.4 MB, accessed September 9, 2017
6. ↑ 'Hit like a bomb': Island paradise of Barbuda before and after Hurricane Irma. news.com.au, September 9, 2017 - with a lot of pictures.
7. ↑ Irma destroys Barbuda. In: Zeit Online. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017 . 
8. ↑ Hurricane Irma: "Everyone has to get away from Barbuda immediately!" Interview with Erna-Mae Brathwaite, Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Service. In: Zeit Online , September 8, 2017.
9. ^ After Irma, Barbuda's 300-year-old civilization 'extinguished'. In: AOL / Mashable. September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017 . Caribbean island deserted: Barbuda destroyed by hurricane "Irma": "300 year old civilization wiped out". In: Focus online, September 16, 2017. 
   
10. ↑ Harriet Alexander: Barbudans forced to travel to Antigua to vote as islanders fear for future of their land. In: The Telegraph . March 21, 2018, accessed March 22, 2018 .