Antiguan's Honor U.S. President Barack Obama with Mount Obama

Photo: U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama II

Barack H. Obama II is the 44th President of the United States, and first African American to hold the post. Born on August 4, 1961, Obama's story is a dual one: the American story of values from the heartland of America and the African story of perseverance of the African spirit.

Mount Obama

Antigua announced the renaming of its tallest mountain peak as Mount Obama on Jan. 20, 2009, in honor of the first Black president of the United States. Mount Obama was named on August 4, 2009, marking President Barack Obama's 48th birthday. Located in St. John's, Antigua, Mount Obama is part of the two-island country of Antigua and Barbuda. This is the Caribbean nation's highest honor.

"As an emancipated people linked to our common ancestral heritage and a history of dehumanizing enslavement, we need to at all times celebrate our heroes and leaders who through their actions inspire us to do great and noble things," said Antiguan Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer at the renaming inauguration that drew about 300 at the base of the mountain, near the island's southern coast, in St. John. (Huffingtonpost.com, 8/4/09).

Image: Antigua & Barbuda

Originally known as Boggy Peak, Mount Obama has been a popular hiking mountain at 1,300 feet (395 meters) above the sea in Antigua, a great destination for hikers and family travelers.