Anguilla

{{Short description|British Overseas Territory in the Leeward Islands}}

{{About|the Caribbean British Overseas Territory||Anguilla (disambiguation)}}

{{Distinguish|Anguillita|Antigua}}

{{EngvarB|date=March 2025}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox dependency

| name = Anguilla

| settlement_type = British Overseas Territory

| image_flag = Flag of Anguilla (1990–1999).svg

| flag_size = 130

| flag_link = Flag of Anguilla

| image_seal = Coat of arms of Anguilla.svg

| seal_size = 65

| seal_type = Coat of arms

| seal_link = Coat of arms of Anguilla

| motto = "Unity, Strength and Endurance"

| anthem = "God Save the King"

File:God Save the King.ogg

| song_type = National song

| song = "God Bless Anguilla"

File:God_Bless_Anguilla.ogg

| image_map = Anguilla in United Kingdom.svg

| map_caption = {{map caption |location_color=red }}

| mapsize = 290px

| image_map2 = Anguilla - Location Map (2013) - AIA - UNOCHA.svg

| mapsize2 = 290px

| map_caption2 =

| subdivision_type = Sovereign state

| subdivision_name = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| established_title = English control

| established_date = 1667

| established_title2 = Federation with Saint Kitts and Nevis

| established_date2 = 1871

| established_title3 = Secession and independence

| established_date3 = 12 July 1967

| established_title4 = British control restored

| established_date4 = 18 March 1969

| official_languages = English

| demonym = Anguillan

| capital = The Valley

| coordinates = {{Coord|18|13|15|N|63|03|06|W|region:AI_type:city|display=inline}}

| largest_city = capital

| ethnic_groups = {{Plainlist|

}}

| ethnic_groups_year = 2011

| ethnic_groups_ref = {{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Anguilla|access-date=20 September 2019 |year=2019}}

| leader_title1 = Monarch

| leader_name1 = Charles III

| leader_title2 = Governor

| leader_name2 = Julia Crouch

| leader_title3 = Deputy Governor

| leader_name3 = Perin A. Bradley

| leader_title4 = Premier

| leader_name4= Cora Richardson-Hodge

| legislature = House of Assembly

| national_representation = Government of the United Kingdom

| national_representation_type1 = Minister

| national_representation1 = Stephen Doughty

| area_km2 = 91

| area_sq_mi =

| area_rank =

| percent_water = negligible

| elevation_max_m = 73

| population_estimate = {{UN_Population|Anguilla}}{{UN_Population|ref}}

| population_census = 13,452

| population_estimate_year = {{UN_Population|Year}}

| population_estimate_rank = not ranked

| population_census_year = 2011

| population_density_km2 = 132

| population_density_rank = not ranked

| population_density_sq_mi = 342

| GDP_PPP = $311 million{{cite web |url=http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Anguilla |title=UN Data |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230131850/http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Anguilla |archive-date=30 December 2016 |url-status=live }}

| GDP_PPP_year = 2014

| GDP_PPP_rank =

| GDP_PPP_per_capita = $29,493

| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =

| GDP_nominal = US$307,000,000{{Cite web|last=UNCTAD|title=UNCTADstat - General Profile: Anguilla|url=http://unctadstat.unctad.org/countryprofile/generalprofile/en-gb/660/index.html|access-date=2021-08-09|website=UNCTADstat|language=en-GB|archive-date=9 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809154623/http://unctadstat.unctad.org/countryprofile/generalprofile/en-gb/660/index.html|url-status=dead}}

| GDP_nominal_year = 2020

| GDP_nominal_rank =

| GDP_nominal_per_capita =

| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =

| Gini =

| Gini_year =

| Gini_change =

| Gini_ref =

| HDI =

| HDI_year =

| HDI_change =

| HDI_ref =

| HDI_rank =

| currency = Eastern Caribbean dollar

| currency_code = XCD

| timezone = AST

| utc_offset = −04:00

| date_format = dd/mm/yyyy

| drives_on = left

| calling_code = +1-264

| postal_code_type = UK postcode

| postal_code = AI-2640

| iso_code = AI

| cctld = .ai

|website=[https://gov.ai gov.ai]

}}

{{Coord|18.22723|N|63.04899|W|region:AI_type:adm1st_scale:5000|display=title}}

Anguilla ({{IPAc-en|æ|ŋ|ˈ|ɡ|w|ɪ|l|ə}} {{respell|ang|GWIL|ə}}) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean.{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Anguilla|access-date=31 October 2009|year=2009}} It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin.{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |title=Encyclopedia Britannica – Anguilla |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807102108/https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |url-status=live }} The territory consists of the main island of Anguilla, approximately {{convert|16|mi|km|abbr=off}} long by {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} wide at its widest point, together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The territory's capital is The Valley.{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Anguilla|access-date= 11 July 2019|year=2019}} The total land area of the territory is {{convert|35|mi2|km2}},{{cite web|title=Anguilla Facts|url=http://www.gov.ai/anguillafacts.php|publisher=Government of Anguilla|access-date=1 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517012925/http://www.gov.ai/anguillafacts.php|archive-date=17 May 2013|url-status=live}} with a population of approximately {{UN_Population|Anguilla}}{{UN_Population|ref}} ({{UN_Population|Year}}).

Etymology

The native Arawak name for the island was Malliouhana.

In reference to the island's shape, the Italian {{lang|it|anguilla}}, meaning "eel" (in turn, from the Latin diminutive of anguis, "snake") was used as its name.{{sfnp|Martin|1839}}{{sfnp|EB|1878}}{{sfnp|EB|1911}} Anguillan tradition holds that Christopher Columbus named the island.{{cite encyclopedia | last = Robinson | first = Lisa Clayton | year = 2005 |chapter = Anguilla | title = Encyclopedia of Africa | volume = 1 | edition = 2 | pages = 212–213 | publisher = Oxford University Press |isbn = 9780195223255 | editor1-last = Appiah | editor1-first = Kwame Anthony | editor2-last = Gates | editor2-first = Henry Louis Jr. }}

History

{{Main|History of Anguilla}}

File:Wallblake House, The Valley.jpg, a plantation house thought to be the oldest building in Anguilla]]

Anguilla was first settled by Indigenous Amerindian peoples who migrated from South America. The earliest Native American artefacts found on Anguilla have been dated to around 1300 BC; remains of settlements date from AD 600.Caribbean Islands, Sarah Cameron (Footprint Travel Guides), p. 466 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=G74-rZzX64cC Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407032148/https://books.google.com/books?id=G74-rZzX64cC |date=7 April 2023 }}){{citation |contribution=Anguilla's History |contribution-url=http://gov.ai/elections/anguillahistory.htm |publisher=Government of Anguilla |title=The Anguilla House of Assembly Elections |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813051037/http://gov.ai/elections/anguillahistory.htm |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-date=13 August 2007 }}

There are two known petroglyph sites in Anguilla: Big Spring and Fountain Cavern. The rock ledges of Big Spring contain more than 100 petroglyphs (dating back to AD 600–1200), the majority consisting of three indentations that form faces.Source: [https://axanationaltrust.com/protected-areas/ The Anguilla National Trust - Preservation for Generations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406224250/https://axanationaltrust.com/protected-areas/ |date=6 April 2023 }}.

Precisely when Anguilla was first seen by Europeans is uncertain: some sources claim that Columbus sighted the island during his second voyage in 1493, while others state that the first European explorer was the French Huguenot nobleman and merchant René Goulaine de Laudonnière in 1564. The Dutch West India Company established a fort on the island in 1631. However, the Company later withdrew after its fort was destroyed by the Spanish in 1633.Source: [http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/nl/Anguilla.1009p Atlas of Mutual Heritage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004331/http://www.atlasofmutualheritage.nl/nl/Anguilla.1009p |date=29 January 2018 }}.

Traditional accounts state that Anguilla was first colonised by English settlers from Saint Kitts beginning in 1650.{{sfnp|Martin|1839}}{{Cite book|title=A Historical Geography of the British Colonies: The West Indies|first=Charles Prestwood|last=Lucas|page=143|isbn=978-1-4590-0868-7|publisher=General Books LLC|year=2009}}{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |title=Encyclopedia Britannica - Anguilla |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807102108/https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |url-status=live }} The settlers focused on planting tobacco, and to a lesser extent cotton. The French temporarily took over the island in 1666 but returned it to English control under the terms of the Treaty of Breda the next year. Major John Scott, who visited in September 1667, wrote of leaving the island "in good condition" and noted that in July 1668, "200 or 300 people fled thither in time of war".British Colonial and State Papers 1661–1668, 16 November 1667 and 9 July 1668. The French attacked again in 1688, 1745 and 1798, causing much destruction but failing to capture the island.

It is likely that the early European settlers brought enslaved Africans with them. Historians confirm that African slaves lived in the region in the early 17th century, such as slaves from Senegal living on St Kitts in the mid-1600s.{{cite book |last1=Hubbard |first1=Vincent K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NMcnAAAAYAAJ&q=senegal |title=A History of St Kitts: The Sweet Trade |publisher=Macmillan |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-333-74760-5 |language=en |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191503/https://books.google.com/books?id=NMcnAAAAYAAJ&q=senegal |url-status=live }} By 1672 a slave depot existed on the island of Nevis, serving the Leeward Islands.{{Cite journal |last=Walicek |first=Don E. |date=2012-06-17 |title=Migration from Anguilla to 18th Century Puerto Rico: A Socio-linguistic Approach to African Identities in Caribbean Context |url=https://revistas.upr.edu/index.php/cih/article/view/16400/13936 |journal=Cuadernos de Investigación Histórica |language=es |issue=7 |pages=51–68 |issn=3065-6591}} While the time of African arrival in Anguilla is difficult to place precisely, archival evidence indicates a substantial African presence of at least 100 enslaved people by 1683; these seem to have come from Central Africa as well as West Africa.Walicek, Don E. (2009). "The Founder Principle and Anguilla's Homestead Society," Gradual Creolization: Studies Celebrating Jacques Arends, ed. by M. van den Berg, H. Cardoso, and R. Selbach. (Creole Language Library Series 34), Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 349–372. The slaves were forced to work on the sugar plantations which had begun to replace tobacco as Anguilla's main crop. Over time, the African slaves and their descendants came to vastly outnumber the white settlers. The African slave trade was eventually terminated within the British Empire in 1807, and slavery outlawed completely in 1834.{{cite web |title=Encyclopedia Britannica – Anguilla |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=7 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807102108/https://www.britannica.com/place/Anguilla-island-West-Indies |url-status=live }} Many planters subsequently sold up or left the island.

During the early colonial period, Anguilla was administered by the British through Antigua; in 1825, it was placed under the administrative control of nearby Saint Kitts. Anguilla was federated with St Kitts and Nevis in 1882, against the wishes of many Anguillans. Economic stagnation, and the severe effects of several droughts in the 1890s and later the Great Depression of the 1930s led many Anguillans to emigrate for better prospects elsewhere.

File:Flag of Anguilla (1967–1969).svg

Full adult suffrage was introduced to Anguilla in 1952. After a brief period as part of the West Indies Federation (1958–1962), the island of Anguilla became part of the associated state of Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla with full internal autonomy in 1967.{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis |title=Encyclopedia Britannica – St Kitts and Nevis |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803155513/https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis |url-status=live }} However many Anguillans had no wish to be a part of this union, and resented the dominance of St Kitts within it. On 30 May 1967 Anguillans forcibly ejected the St Kitts police force from the island and declared their separation from St Kitts following a referendum.[http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=ai011967 Anguilla, 11 July 1967: Separation from St Kitts and Nevis; Peace Committee as Government] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626122436/http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=ai011967 |date=26 June 2015 }} Direct Democracy {{in lang|de}}Noack, David X., [https://amerika21.de/analyse/160106/anguilla-kolonie-separatisten Die abtrünnige Republik Anguilla], amerika21.de, 27 September 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417180508/https://amerika21.de/analyse/160106/anguilla-kolonie-separatisten |date=17 April 2019 }}. The events, led by Atlin Harrigan{{Cite web |url=http://www.gov.ai/documents/budget/Budget_2009.pdf |title=Budget Address 2009, 'Strengthening the Collective: We are the Solution' |access-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020162301/http://www.gov.ai/documents/budget/Budget_2009.pdf |archive-date=20 October 2016 |url-status=live }} and Ronald Webster among others, became known as the Anguillan Revolution; its goal was not independence per se, but rather independence from Saint Kitts and Nevis and a return to being a British colony.

With negotiations failing to break the deadlock, a second referendum confirming Anguillans' desire for separation from St Kitts was held and the Republic of Anguilla was declared unilaterally, with Ronald Webster as president. Efforts by British envoy William Whitlock failed to break the impasse and 300 British troops were subsequently sent in March 1969. British authority was restored, and confirmed by the Anguilla Act 1971 (c. 63) of July 1971. In 1980, Anguilla was finally allowed to formally secede from Saint Kitts and Nevis and become a separate British Crown colony (now a British overseas territory).{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |date=2013 |title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfrWCQAAQBAJ |pages=656–657 |publisher=Abc-Clio |isbn=9780313344978 |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191504/https://books.google.com/books?id=jfrWCQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite book|last1=Hubbard|first1=Vincent|title=A History of St. Kitts|date=2002|publisher=Macmillan Caribbean|isbn=9780333747605|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofstkitts00vinc/page/147 147–149]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofstkitts00vinc/page/147}} Since then, Anguilla has been politically stable, and has seen a large growth in its tourism and offshore financing sectors.

Geography and geology

{{Main|Geography of Anguilla}}

File:Anguilla-aerial view western portion.jpg

Anguilla is a flat, low-lying island of coral and limestone in the Caribbean Sea, measuring some 16 miles (26 km) long and 3.5 miles (6 km) in width. It lies to the east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin, separated from that island by the Anguilla Channel. The soil is generally thin and poor, supporting scrub, tropical and forest vegetation. The terrain is generally low-lying, with the highest terrain located in the vicinity of The Valley; Crocus Hill, Anguilla's highest peak at {{convert|240|ft}}, lies in the western regions of the town.

Anguilla is noted for its ecologically important coral reefs and beaches. Apart from the main island of Anguilla itself, the territory includes a number of other smaller islands and cays, mostly tiny and uninhabited:

In Anguilla, forest cover is around 61% of the total land area, equivalent to 5,500 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990.{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Anguilla |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/AIA/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}

=Geology=

{{main|Geology of Anguilla}}

Anguilla (and the wider Anguilla Bank) is of volcanic origin, lying on the Lesser Antilles volcanic island arc, and tuffs and volcaniclastic breccias of Eocene age are exposed locally on the island.{{Cite journal |last1=Budd |first1=A. F. |last2=Johnson |first2=K. G. |last3=Edwards |first3=J. C. |date=May 1995 |title=Caribbean reef coral diversity during the early to middle Miocene: an example from the Anguilla Formation |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF00303432 |journal=Coral Reefs |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=109–117 |doi=10.1007/BF00303432 |bibcode=1995CorRe..14..109B |s2cid=22827668 |issn=0722-4028 |access-date=16 June 2022 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191506/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00303432 |url-status=live }} The island was largely submerged during the Miocene, leading to the formation of the reefal limestone Anguilla Formation, which was subsequently tectonically uplifted and covers most of the island today.{{Cite journal |last=Christman |first=Robert A. |title=Geology of St. Bartholomew, St. Martin, and Anguilla, Lesser Antilles |date=1953 |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsabulletin/article/64/1/65-96/4529 |journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin |language=en |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=85 |doi=10.1130/0016-7606(1953)64[85:GOSBSM]2.0.CO;2 |issn=0016-7606 |access-date=16 June 2022 |archive-date=17 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617000657/https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsabulletin/article/64/1/65-96/4529 |url-status=live }} Since the late Pleistocene, however, Anguilla has undergone tectonic subsidence at a rate of around 1–2 mm/yr.{{Cite journal |last1=van Rijsingen |first1=Elenora |last2=Calais |first2=Eric |last3=Jolivet |first3=Romain |last4=de Chabalier |first4=Jean-Bernard |last5=Robertson |first5=Richard |last6=Ryan |first6=Graham |last7=Symithe |first7=Steeve |date=2021-03-03 |title=Vertical tectonic motions in the Lesser Antilles: linking short- and long-term observations |journal=EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts |url=https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/EGU21-934.html |doi=10.5194/egusphere-egu21-934 |bibcode=2021EGUGA..23..934V |s2cid=235385841 |doi-access=free |access-date=16 June 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920034551/https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/EGU21-934.html |url-status=live }}

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File:SSS Islands Map.png and other islands to its south]]

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File:Anguilla map.svg

=Climate=

{{Main|Climate of Anguilla}}

==Temperature==

Northeastern trade winds keep this tropical island relatively cool and dry. Average annual temperature is {{convert|80|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. July–October is its hottest period, December–February, its coolest.

==Rainfall==

Rainfall averages {{convert|35|in|mm}} annually, although the figures vary from season to season and year to year. The island is subject to both sudden tropical storms and hurricanes, which occur in the period from July to November. The island suffered damage from Hurricane Luis in 1995, severe flooding {{convert|5|to|20|ft|m|round=0.5|abbr=off}} from Hurricane Lenny in 1999 and severe damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the island.

Governance

=Political system=

{{Main|Politics of Anguilla}}

{{See also|Law of Anguilla}}

Anguilla is an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Its politics take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby the Premier is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. A governor is appointed by the British government to represent the king.

The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes Anguilla on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. The territory's constitution is the Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982 (amended 1990). Executive power is exercised by the government, with legislative power being vested in both the government and the House of Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

=Defence=

As a British overseas territory, the UK is responsible for Anguilla's military defence, although there are no active garrisons or armed forces present in the territory. Since 2020, the Royal Navy has forward-deployed the offshore patrol vessel HMS Medway long-term to the Caribbean for patrol and sovereignty protection duties.{{cite news |title=HMS Medway Sets Sail for the Caribbean |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2020/january/20/200120-hms-medway-sets-sail-for-the-caribbean |access-date=1 October 2020 |agency=Royal Navy |date=20 January 2019 |archive-date=10 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510053232/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2020/january/20/200120-hms-medway-sets-sail-for-the-caribbean |url-status=live }} In October 2023, the destroyer HMS Dauntless (which had temporarily replaced Medway on her normal Caribbean tasking), visited the territory in order to assist local authorities in preparing for the climax of the hurricane season.{{cite news |title=HMS Dauntless visits trio of Caribbean Islands in disaster relief preparation mission |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/october/04/231004-dauntless-caribbean-hop |access-date=4 October 2023 |agency=Royal Navy |date=4 October 2023 |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004143659/https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/october/04/231004-dauntless-caribbean-hop |url-status=live }}

Anguilla had a small marine police force, comprising around 32 personnel, which operated one VT Halmatic M160-class {{convert|16|m|adj=on|disp=flip}} fast patrol boat.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} Policing on the island is the responsibility of the Royal Anguilla Police Force.

Population

= Demographics =

{{Main|Demographics of Anguilla}}

The majority of residents (90.08%) are of West African ancestry, most of whom are the descendants of enslaved people transported from Africa. Minorities include whites at 3.74% and people of mixed race at 4.65% (figures from 2001 census). Of the population, 72% is Anguillan while 28% is non-Anguillan (2001 census). Of the non-Anguillan population, many are citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, St Kitts & Nevis, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.{{Cite web|title=Demography, Culture, Migration, Crime, Marital Status and Fertility of the Resident Population of Anguilla According to the May 2001 Census|url=http://www.gov.ai/statistics/census/images/Demography%20culture%20marital%20status%20and%20fertility.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190328/http://www.gov.ai/statistics/census/images/Demography%20culture%20marital%20status%20and%20fertility.pdf|archive-date=9 July 2021|access-date=12 September 2021}}

The years 2006 and 2007 saw an influx of large numbers of Chinese, Indian and Mexican workers, brought in as labour for major tourist developments due to the local population not being large enough to support the labour requirements.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gov.ai/documents/statistics/Anguilla_CPA_-_Main_Report_Final_(Submitted).pdf|title=Anguilla Country Poverty Assessment 2007/2009|date=n.d.|access-date=19 November 2019|archive-date=11 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711003410/http://www.gov.ai/documents/statistics/Anguilla_CPA_-_Main_Report_Final_(Submitted).pdf|url-status=dead}}

= Religion =

Christian churches did not have a consistent or strong presence during the initial period of English colonisation; spiritual and religious practices of Europeans and Africans tended to reflect their regional origins. As early as 1813, Christian ministers formally ministered to enslaved Africans and promoted literacy among converts.Walicek, Don E. (2011). "Christianity, Literacy, and Creolization in Nineteenth-Century Anguilla". In Anansi's Defiant Webs, Contact, Continuity, Convergence, and Complexity in the Language, Literatures and Cultures of the Greater Caribbean, ed. by N. Faraclas, R. Severing, et al., Willemstad: University of Curaçao and Fundashon pa Planifikashon di Idioma, pp. 181–189. The Wesleyan (Methodist) Missionary Society of England built churches and schools from 1817.Hodge, S. Wilfred (2003). "Bethel—the road—and due west" In Wilbert Forker (Ed.), Born in Slavery: A Story of Methodism in Anguilla and Its Influence in the Caribbean (pp. 20–29). Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press.

According to the 2001 census, Christianity is Anguilla's predominant religion, with 29% of the population practising Anglicanism; another 23.9% are Methodist. Other churches on the island include Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, Roman Catholic (served by the Diocese of Saint John's–Basseterre, with the See at Saint John on Antigua and Barbuda) and a small community of Jehovah's Witnesses (0.7%).{{cite web|url=http://gov.ai/statistics/census/Demography%20&%20Culture%20tables.htm|title=Persons by Religion, Census 1992 and 2001 (Table 14)|publisher=Statistics Department of Anguilla|access-date=16 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124150450/http://gov.ai/statistics/census/Demography%20%26%20Culture%20tables.htm|archive-date=24 November 2007|url-status=live}} Between 1992 and 2001, the number of followers of the Church of God and Pentecostals increased considerably.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} There are at least 15 churches on the island. Although a minority on the island, Anguilla is an important location to followers of Rastafarian religion as the birthplace of Robert Athlyi Rogers, author of the Holy Piby which had a strong influence on Rastafarian and other Africa-centre belief systems.{{cite book |last1=Selassie I, PhD |first1=W. Gabriel |title=Introduction and Analysis: The Holy Piby, The Blackman's Bible |date=2017 |publisher=Orunmilla, Inc. |location=Los Angeles |isbn=978-0986381904 |pages=xiii}}{{cite book|first=Charles |last=Price|title=Becoming Rasta: Origins of Rastafari Identity in Jamaica|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OC399TZD2BwC&pg=PA49|year=2009|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-6768-9|pages=48–49}} More recently, a Muslim cultural centre has opened on the island.

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Religions in Anguilla
by percentage

! Religion !! 1992 !! 2001 !! 2011

Anglican

| style="text-align:center;"| 40.4

| style="text-align:center;"| 29.0

| style="text-align:center;"| 22.7

Methodist

| style="text-align:center;"| 33.2

| style="text-align:center;"| 23.9

| style="text-align:center;"| 19.4

Pentecostal

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 10.5

Seventh-day Adventist

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.0

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.6

| style="text-align:center;"| 8.3

Baptist

| style="text-align:center;"| 4.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.3

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.1

Catholic

| style="text-align:center;"| 3.2

| style="text-align:center;"| 5.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 6.8

Church of God

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 7.6

| style="text-align:center;"| 4.9

Jehovah's Witnesses

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 1.1

Rastafarian

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.7

| style="text-align:center;"|

Evangelical

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.5

| style="text-align:center;"|

Plymouth Brethren

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.3

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.1

Muslim

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.3

| style="text-align:center;"|

Presbyterian

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.2

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.2

Hindu

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.4

| style="text-align:center;"|

Jewish

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.1

| style="text-align:center;"|

None

| style="text-align:center;"| –

| style="text-align:center;"| 4.0

| style="text-align:center;"| 4.5

Other

| style="text-align:center;"| 10.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 3.5

| style="text-align:center;"|

Not stated

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.7

| style="text-align:center;"| 0.3

| style="text-align:center;"|

= Languages =

{{Main|Anguillian Creole}}

File:Flag of Anguilla.svg

Today most people in Anguilla speak a British-influenced variety of standard English. Other languages are also spoken on the island, including varieties of Spanish, Chinese and the languages of other immigrant communities. However, the most common language other than Standard English is the island's own English-lexifier Creole language (not to be confused with Antillean Creole ('French Creole'), spoken in French islands such as Martinique and Guadeloupe). It is referred to locally by terms such as "dialect" (pronounced "dialek"), Anguilla Talk or "Anguillian".{{cite web|url=http://whatwedoinanguilla.com/language/|title=Anguillian Language 101|website=Whatwedoinanguilla.com|access-date=11 July 2019|archive-date=5 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605183937/https://whatwedoinanguilla.com/language/|url-status=live}} It has its main roots in early varieties of English and West African languages, and is similar to the dialects spoken in English-speaking islands throughout the Eastern Caribbean in terms of its structural features.{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aig|title=Antigua and Barbuda Creole English|work=Ethnologue|access-date=11 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019010527/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aig|archive-date=19 October 2012|url-status=live}}

Linguists who are interested in the origins of Anguillan and other Caribbean Creoles point out that some of its grammatical features can be traced to African languages while others can be traced to European languages. Three areas have been identified as significant for the identification of the linguistic origins of those forced migrants who arrived before 1710: the Gold Coast, the Slave Coast and the Windward Coast.Singler, John. 1993. African influence upon Afro-American language varieties: A consideration of sociohistorical factors. In Africanisms in Afro-American language varieties, S. Mufwene and n. Condon (eds.), 235–253. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

Sociohistorical information from Anguilla's archives suggest that Africans and Europeans formed two distinct, but perhaps overlapping speech communities in the early phases of the island's colonisation. "Anguillian" is believed to have emerged as the language of the masses as time passed, slavery was abolished and locals began to see themselves as "belonging" to Anguillan society.

Education

{{main|Education in Anguilla}}

There are six government primary schools, one government secondary school (Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School), and two private schools."[http://www.gov.ai/schools.php Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215045309/http://www.gov.ai/schools.php |date=15 December 2017 }}." Government of Anguilla. Retrieved 7 December 2017. There is a single library, the Edison L. Hughes Education & Library Complex of the Anguilla Public Library."[http://www.gov.ai/library.php The Edison L. Hughes Education & Library Complex] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120024636/http://www.gov.ai/library.php |date=20 November 2017 }}." Government of Anguilla. Retrieved 7 December 2017. A branch of the Saint James School of Medicine was established in 2011 in Anguilla.{{cite news|title=Saint James Medical School Officially Opened|url=http://www.festival.ai/article/view/10024/1/135|work=The Anguillian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331160505/http://www.festival.ai/article/view/10024/1/135|archive-date=31 March 2012 }} It is a private, for-profit medical school headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois.{{cite web |url=http://bonaire.sjsm.org/md-program |title=Saint James School of Medicine's top MD Program |publisher=Bonaire.sjsm.org |date=7 January 2014 |access-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617080228/http://bonaire.sjsm.org/md-program/ |archive-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=live }}

There is a University of the West Indies Open campus site in the island.{{cite web|url=http://www.open.uwi.edu/anguilla|title=The Open Campus in Anguilla – Open Campus|website=open.uwi.edu|access-date=11 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142512/http://www.open.uwi.edu/anguilla|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}

Culture

File:Cap Juluca - Anguilla.jpg

File:Sandy Ground Anguilla.jpg

The island's cultural history begins with the native Taino, Arawak and Carib. Their artefacts have been found around the island, telling of life before European settlers arrived.{{cite book|last1=Hailey|first1=Adrian|last2=Wilson|first2=Byron|last3=Horrocks|first3=Julia|title=Conservation of Caribbean Island Herpetofaunas Volume 2: Regional Accounts of the West Indies|date=7 April 2011|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004194083|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNdbVSDfF6oC&q=Anguilla+antilles|access-date=12 June 2016|archive-date=30 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191505/https://books.google.com/books?id=QNdbVSDfF6oC&q=Anguilla+antilles#v=snippet&q=Anguilla%20antilles&f=false|url-status=live}}

Anguillan culture has also been built through immigration. Many European families have moved to the island and have impacted the formalities of the Anguillan people.

Similar to nearby islands, Anguillans geography and location require a cultural reliance on the ocean. The island's abundance of sea life has led to the incorporation of many fish and crustacean into daily life. They have become a part of the local cuisine, opened up opportunities for ecotourism, and introduced celebrations such as Lobster Fest and boat races.

As throughout the Caribbean, holidays are a cultural fixture. Anguilla's most important holidays are of historic as much as cultural importance – particularly the anniversary of the emancipation (previously August Monday in the Park), celebrated as the Summer Festival, or Carnival, the sailboat races, and Lobster Fest. British festivities, such as the King's Birthday, are also celebrated.{{Cite web|url=https://whatwedoinanguilla.com/calendar/public-holiday-queen-birthday/|title=Public Holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen|date=17 June 2019|website=Whatwedoinanguila.com|access-date=10 February 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308072337/https://whatwedoinanguilla.com/calendar/public-holiday-queen-birthday/|url-status=dead}}

Music in Anguilla presents itself as an important part of its culture as well. All different genres of music are played at the celebrations mentioned above. This music represents the deep history of talent that Anguillans have displayed for decades.

The Anguilla National Trust (ANT) was established in 1989 and opened its current office in 1991 charged with the responsibility of preserving the heritage of the island, including its cultural heritage.{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://axanationaltrust.com/about-us/ |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=Anguilla National Trust |language=en-GB |archive-date=11 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711005055/https://axanationaltrust.com/about-us/ |url-status=live }}

The Heritage Collection Museum used to showcase the history and artefacts of Anguilla, but in 2024 the collection was handed over to the Anguilla National Museum.{{cite web | title=Heritage Collection Museum turns over artifacts to the Government of Anguilla | website=The Anguillian Newspaper - The Weekly Independent Paper of Anguilla | date=2024-01-26 | url=https://theanguillian.com/2024/01/heritage-collection-museum-turns-over-artifacts-to-the-government-of-anguilla/ | access-date=2024-05-20 | archive-date=30 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191508/https://theanguillian.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi | url-status=live }}

= Cuisine =

{{Main|Anguillan cuisine}}

File:Sunshine Shack Anguilla.jpg

Anguillan cuisine is influenced by native Caribbean, West African, Spanish, French, and English cuisines.Robinson, Peg. [http://traveltips.usatoday.com/foods-important-anguilla-20339.html "Foods That Are Important in Anguilla."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224035840/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/foods-important-anguilla-20339.html |date=24 December 2011 }} [http://traveltips.usatoday.com USA Today Travel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717012905/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/ |date=17 July 2011 }}. Retrieved July 2011. Seafood is abundant, including prawns, shrimp, crab, spiny lobster, conch, mahi-mahi, red snapper, marlin, and grouper. Salt cod is a staple food eaten on its own and used in stews, casseroles and soups. Livestock is limited due to the small size of the island and people there use poultry, pork, goat, and mutton, along with imported beef. Goat is the most commonly eaten meat, used in a variety of dishes. The official national food of Anguilla is pigeon peas and rice.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baconismagic.ca/anguilla/traditional-anguilla-food/|title=29 Tasty Anguilla Food and Drink You'll Love – Bacon is Magic|date=3 June 2019|website=Bacon is Magic – The Best Food Around the World|access-date=19 December 2019|archive-date=20 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920035813/https://www.baconismagic.ca/anguilla/traditional-anguilla-food/|url-status=live}}

A significant amount of the island's produce is imported due to limited land suitable for agriculture production; much of the soil is sandy and infertile. The agriculture produce of Anguilla includes tomatoes, peppers, limes and other citrus fruits, onion, garlic, squash, pigeon peas, and callaloo. Starch staple foods include imported rice and other foods that are imported or locally grown, including yams,Higgins, Michelle (28 January 2007). [http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/travel/28anguilla.html "For Foodies: Anguilla."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813021644/http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/travel/28anguilla.html |date=13 August 2011 }} [http://travel.nytimes.com The New York Times – Travel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717043729/http://travel.nytimes.com/ |date=17 July 2011 }}. Retrieved July 2011. sweet potatoes and breadfruit.

=Literature=

The Anguilla National Trust has programmes encouraging Anguillan writers and the preservation of the island's history. In 2015, Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in Anguilla A New Anthology by Lasana M. Sekou was published by House of Nehesi Publishers.{{cite web|url=http://theanguillian.com/2015/05/where-i-see-the-sun-anthology-available-in-anguilla/|title="WHERE I SEE THE SUN" ANTHOLOGY AVAILABLE IN ANGUILLA|work=The Anguillian Newspaper - The Weekly Independent Paper of Anguilla |date=29 May 2015|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622072500/http://theanguillian.com/2015/05/where-i-see-the-sun-anthology-available-in-anguilla/|archive-date=22 June 2015|url-status=live}} Among the forty three poets in the collection are Rita Celestine-Carty, Bankie Banx, John T. Harrigan, Patricia J. Adams, Fabian Fahie, Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks, and Reuel Ben Lewi.{{Cite web |url=http://soualiganewsday.com/local/soualiga-newsday-features/item/3890-think-and-know-where-i-see-the-sun-%E2%80%93-contemporary-poetry-in-anguilla.html |title=Think and Know: Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in Anguilla |access-date=17 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407200910/http://soualiganewsday.com/local/soualiga-newsday-features/item/3890-think-and-know-where-i-see-the-sun-%E2%80%93-contemporary-poetry-in-anguilla.html |archive-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=live }}

= Music =

{{Main|Music of Anguilla}}

File:BankieBanx.jpg, noted reggae artist and poet from Anguilla who has built up an international following]]

Various Caribbean musical genres are popular on the island, such as soca and calypso, but reggae most deeply roots itself in Anguillan society. Anguilla has produced many artists and groups in this genre.

Reggae has shown itself to be the most popular genre in Anguilla. The most successful of reggae artists originating in Anguilla come from the Banks family. Bankie "Banx" and his son Omari Banks have had many chart-topping songs listened to around the world. The two musicians continue to provide live performances across the island quite often.

British Dependency has also gained popularity throughout the 21st century. The band, who began in Anguilla, boasts the island's first female bass player. Performing alongside The Wailers on tour, British Dependency have earned attention from an American audience.

One of many musical events that take place in Anguilla is Moonsplash. Moonsplash is an annual reggae music festival that has occurred in Anguilla for 33 consecutive years and proves to be the oldest independent musical event in the Caribbean. Along with its longstanding history, it is the largest festival annually alongside carnival.

While not many soca and calypso artists have gained extreme popularity, the genres are still widely listened to across the island.

= Sports =

{{See also|Sailing in Anguilla|Cricket in the West Indies|Rugby union in Anguilla}}

Boat racing has deep roots in Anguillan culture and is the national sport. There are regular sailing regattas on national holidays, such as Carnival, which are contested by locally built and designed boats. These boats have names and have sponsors that print their logo on their sails.

As in many other former British colonies, cricket is also a popular sport. Anguilla is the home of Omari Banks, who played for the West Indies Cricket Team, while Cardigan Connor played first-class cricket for English county side Hampshire and was 'chef de mission' (team manager) for Anguilla's Commonwealth Games team in 2002. Other noted players include Chesney Hughes, who played for Derbyshire County Cricket Club in England.

Rugby union is represented in Anguilla by the Anguilla Eels RFC, who were formed in April 2006.[http://www.news.ai/gl//article.php?story=20060425160749670 Rugby in Anguilla!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521021347/http://www.news.ai/gl//article.php?story=20060425160749670 |date=21 May 2018 }}, Anguilla News The Eels have been finalists in the St. Martin tournament in November 2006 and semi-finalists in 2007, 2008, 2009 and Champions in 2010. The Eels were formed in 2006 by Scottish club national second row Martin Welsh, Club Sponsor and President of the AERFC Ms. Jacquie Ruan, and Canadian standout Scrumhalf Mark Harris (Toronto Scottish RFC).

Anguilla is the birthplace of sprinter Zharnel Hughes who has represented Great Britain since 2015, and England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He won the 100 metres at the 2018 European Athletics Championships, the 4 x 100 metres at the same championships, and the 4 x 100 metres for England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He also won a {{nowrap|4 × 100 m}} relay team gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and a silver on the {{nowrap|4 × 100 m}} relay for Great Britain at the 2020 Olympic Games.{{cite web |title=Zharnel Hughes breaks silence on CJ Ujah doping scandal as Team GB face silver medal loss |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/team-gb-zharnel-hughes-ujah-24824629 |website=Mirror |date=24 August 2021 |access-date=7 February 2022 |archive-date=7 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207115707/https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/athletics/team-gb-zharnel-hughes-ujah-24824629 |url-status=live }} In 2023 he broke the British record for the 100m sprint, with a time of 9.83 seconds.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/24/zharnel-hughes-shatters-linford-christies-british-100m-record |newspaper=The Observer |title=Zharnel Hughes shatters Linford Christie's 30-year British 100m record |date=24 June 2023 |access-date=25 June 2023 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191507/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/24/zharnel-hughes-shatters-linford-christies-british-100m-record |url-status=live }}

Shara Proctor, British Long Jump Silver Medalist at the World Championships in Beijing, first represented Anguilla in the event until 2010 when she began to represent Great Britain and England. Under the Anguillan Flag she achieved several medals in the NACAC games.{{cite web |title=Shara Proctor: It's time for Anguilla to have an Olympic Committee |url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/shara-proctor-its-time-anguilla-have-olympic-committee1-555557 |website=Caribbean Loop |access-date=7 February 2022 |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530191508/https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/shara-proctor-its-time-anguilla-have-olympic-committee1-555557 |url-status=live }}

Keith Connor, triple jumper, is also an Anguillan. He represented Great Britain and England and achieved several international titles including Commonwealth and European Games gold medals and an Olympic bronze medal. Connor later became Head Coach of Australia Athletics.{{cite web |title=SMU's Connor Bounds To Triple Jump Greatness |url=https://www.ustfccca.org/ncaa-100/keith-connor-smu-1982-ncaa-outdoor-championships-triple-jump-meet-record |website=USTFCCCA.org |access-date=7 February 2022 |archive-date=7 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207120315/https://www.ustfccca.org/ncaa-100/keith-connor-smu-1982-ncaa-outdoor-championships-triple-jump-meet-record |url-status=live }}

Natural history

=Wildlife=

File:Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis).jpg

Anguilla has habitat for the Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis).{{cite journal |last1=Townsend |first1=JH |last2=Eaton |first2=JM |last3=Parmlee |first3=JS |year=2000 |title=Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Anguilla, Lesser Antilles |url=https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Ecological-Risk-Screening-Summary-Cuban-Treefrog.pdf |journal=Caribbean Journal of Science |volume=36 |issue=3/4 |pages=326–328 |issn=0008-6452 |access-date=12 June 2016}} The red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) is a species of tortoise found here, which originally came from South America. Hurricanes in the mid-90s led to over-water dispersal of the green iguanas (Iguana iguana) to Anguilla.{{cite journal|last1=Censky|first1=Ellen J.|last2=Hodge|first2=Karim|last3=Dudley|first3=Judy|title=Over-water dispersal of lizards due to hurricanes|journal=Nature|year=1998|volume=395|issue=556|pages=556|doi=10.1038/26886|bibcode=1998Natur.395..556C|s2cid=4360916|doi-access=free}} All three animals are introductions.

Five species of bats are known in the literature from Anguilla – the threatened insular single leaf bat (Monophyllus plethodon), the Antillean fruit-eating bat (Brachyphylla cavernarum), the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis), the Mexican funnel-eared bat (Natalus stramineus), and the velvety free-tailed bat (Molossus molossus).{{cite journal|last1=Genoways|first1=Hugh H.|last2=Phillips|first2=Carleton J.|last3=Pedersen|first3=Scott C.|last4=Gordon|first4=Linda|title=Bats of Anguilla, Northern Lesser Antilles|journal=Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech|series=Occasional papers |date=24 October 2007|volume=270|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.156960 |s2cid=14279221 |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/104/|access-date=12 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530045943/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/museummammalogy/104/|archive-date=30 May 2016|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}

Notable people

Economy

{{Main|Economy of Anguilla}}

Anguilla's thin arid soil being largely unsuitable for agriculture, the island has few land-based natural resources. Its main industries are tourism, offshore incorporation and management, offshore banking, captive insurance and fishing.

Anguilla's currency is the East Caribbean dollar, though the US dollar is also widely accepted. The exchange rate is fixed to the US dollar at US$1 = EC$2.70.

The economy, and especially the tourism sector, suffered a setback in late 1995 due to the effects of Hurricane Luis in September. Hotels were hit particularly hard but a recovery occurred the following year. Another economic setback occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Lenny in 2000.{{Cite book|title=South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2003|publisher=Routledge|page=52|year=2002|isbn=978-1-85743-138-4|edition=11}} Before the 2008 worldwide crisis, the economy of Anguilla was growing strongly, especially the tourism sector, which was driving major new developments in partnerships with multi-national companies. Anguilla's tourism industry received a major boost when it was selected to host the World Travel Awards in December 2014. Known as "the Oscars of the travel industry", the awards ceremony was held at the CuisinArt Resort and Spa and was hosted by Vivica A. Fox. Anguilla was voted the World's Leading Luxury Island Destination from a short list of top-tier candidates such as St. Barts, the Maldives, and Mauritius.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/vivica-a-fox-world-leading-luxury-island-destination_n_6342824.html|title=Vivica A. Fox Brings Hollywood Glam To The 'World's Leading Luxury Island Destination'|date=17 December 2014|work=HuffPost|access-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929050415/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/17/vivica-a-fox-world-leading-luxury-island-destination_n_6342824.html|archive-date=29 September 2017|url-status=live}} The economy, including the tourism sector, suffered its biggest setback in late 2017 due to the effects of Hurricane Irma in September, which was the most powerful hurricane to hit the island and which caused major material damage of $320 million. A lot of infrastructure was damaged, which was repaired in 2018/19 and the economy began to recover in 2019. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/21, caused a setback in the economy.{{cite web|url=https://theanguillian.com/2021/09/flashbackhow-has-anguilla-progressed-since-hurricane-irma-in-september-2017/|title=Flashback: How has Anguilla progressed since Hurricane Irma in September 2017?|website=The Anguillian|date=13 September 2021|access-date=5 April 2024|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405202159/https://theanguillian.com/2021/09/flashbackhow-has-anguilla-progressed-since-hurricane-irma-in-september-2017/|url-status=live}}{{cite report|first=John P. |last=Cangialosi|author2=Andrew S. Latto|author3=Robbie J. Berg|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=9 March 2018|access-date=12 March 2018|title=Hurricane Irma (AL112017)|series=Tropical Cyclone Report|url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831040906/https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf|archive-date=31 August 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite report|url=https://www.cedim.de/download/FDA_Irma_2017%20vFinal.pdf|title=Hurricane Irma: Report No. 1, Focus on Caribbean up until 8th September 2017|publisher=Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology|first=James |last=Daniell|author2=Bernhard Mühr|author3=Antonios Pomonis|author4=Andreas Schäfer|author5=Susanna Mohr|access-date=9 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909232814/https://www.cedim.de/download/FDA_Irma_2017%20vFinal.pdf|archive-date=9 September 2017|url-status=dead}}

Anguilla's financial system comprises seven banks,{{cite news|url=https://thebanks.eu/banks-by-country/Anguilla|title=List of Banks in Anguilla|access-date=29 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507123233/https://thebanks.eu/banks-by-country/Anguilla|archive-date=7 May 2017|url-status=live}} two money services businesses, more than 40 company managers, more than 50 insurers, 12 brokers, more than 250 captive intermediaries, more than 50 mutual funds, and eight trust companies.{{cite web|url=http://www.fsc.org.ai/market.shtml|title=Market Participants|access-date=3 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006114801/http://www.fsc.org.ai/market.shtml|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}}

Anguilla has become a popular tax haven, having no capital gains, estate, profit, sales, or corporate taxes. In April 2011, faced with a mounting deficit, it introduced a 3% "Interim Stabilisation Levy", Anguilla's first form of income tax. Anguilla also has a 0.75% property tax.{{cite web |website= kpmg.com |publisher= KPMG |url= http://www.kpmg.com/global/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/taxation-international-executives/anguilla/pages/default.aspx |title= Tax TIES: Anguilla – Overview and introduction |access-date= 1 April 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180928164218/https://www.kpmg.com/global/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/taxation-international-executives/anguilla/pages/default.aspx |archive-date= 28 September 2018}}

Anguilla aims to obtain 15% of its energy from solar power to become less reliant on expensive imported diesel. The Climate & Development Knowledge Network is helping the government gather the information it needs to change the territory's legislation, so that it can integrate renewables into its grid. Barbados has also made good progress in switching to renewables, but many other Small Island Developing States are still at the early stages of planning how to integrate renewable energy into their grids. "For a small island we're very far ahead," said Beth Barry, Coordinator of the Anguilla Renewable Energy Office. "We've got an Energy Policy and a draft Climate Change policy and have been focusing efforts on the question of sustainable energy supply for several years now. As a result, we have a lot of information we can share with other islands."Fry, Carolyn. 28 June 2012. [http://cdkn.org/2012/06/interview-with-beth-barry-on-anguilla-renewable-energy/ Anguilla moves towards cleaner energy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729101506/http://cdkn.org/2012/06/interview-with-beth-barry-on-anguilla-renewable-energy/ |date=29 July 2012 }}

According to a Bloomberg report, due to a skyrocketing interest in artificial intelligence, Anguilla was expected to profit in 2023 from a surge in demand for web addresses ending with the country's top-level domain .ai. The total number of registrations of .ai domain names had already doubled in 2022, and according to Vince Cate, who has managed the top-level domain, Anguilla will bring in as much as $30 million in domain-registration fees for 2023.{{Cite web |last=Metz |first=Rachel |date=2023-08-31 |title=AI Startups Create Digital Demand for Anguilla's Website Domain Name |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-31/ai-startups-create-digital-demand-for-anguilla-s-website-domain-name |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230831132124/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-31/ai-startups-create-digital-demand-for-anguilla-s-website-domain-name |archive-date=2023-08-31 |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=Bloomberg News}}{{Update inline|date=February 2025}}

Transportation

{{Main|Transport in Anguilla}}

=Air=

Anguilla is served by Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (prior to 4 July 2010 known as Wallblake Airport). The primary runway at the airport is {{convert|5462|ft|m}} in length and can accommodate moderate-sized aircraft. Regional scheduled passenger services connect to various other Caribbean islands via local airlines.

In December 2021 Anguilla inaugurated its first ever international regular commercial jet service flight to and from the mainland U.S. American Eagle operating on behalf of American Airlines began nonstop Embraer 175 regional jet service to Anguilla from Miami{{Cite web |last=Britell |first=Alexander |date=2021-07-26 |title=American Airlines Launching Nonstop Flights to Anguilla and Dominica |url=https://www.caribjournal.com/2021/07/25/american-airlines-dominica-anguilla-nonstop-flights/ |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Caribbean Journal |language=en |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326025423/https://www.caribjournal.com/2021/07/25/american-airlines-dominica-anguilla-nonstop-flights/ |url-status=live }} in an aviation watershed moment for Anguilla with the airport also currently attempting to attract other international air carriers.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Other airlines currently serving the airport include Tradewind Aviation and Cape Air which provide scheduled air service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several other small airlines serve the airport as well.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The airport can handle large narrow-body jets such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 and has growing private jet service flights with a new private jet terminal being built.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

=Road=

Aside from taxis, there is no public transport on the island. Cars drive on the left and most roads are unsealed. There is no rail network.

=Boat=

There are regular ferries from Saint Martin to Anguilla. It is a 20-minute crossing from Marigot, St. Martin, to Blowing Point, Anguilla.{{Cite web |title=Traveling from St. Martin to Anguilla on the Ferry: What You Need to Know {{!}} St. Martin Sotheby's Realty |url=https://sxmsir.com/stories/traveling-from-st-martin-to-anguilla-on-the-ferry-what-you-need-to-know |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=sxmsir.com |language=en}}

There is also a charter service which offers boat trips from Blowing Point, Anguilla, to Princess Juliana Airport.{{Cite web |title=Our Services |url=https://www.calypsochartersanguilla.com/our-services/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Calypso Charters Anguilla |language=en-US}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anguilla |volume=2 |ref={{harvid|EB|1878}} |page=46–47 }}
  • {{cite book|last=Brisk|first=William J.|title=The dilemma of a ministate: Anguilla|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|year=1969|isbn=0-87249-179-X}}
  • {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Anguilla |volume=2 |ref={{harvid|EB|1911}} |page=42–43}}
  • {{Cite book |last=Hakluyt |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Hakluyt |title=The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, & Discoveries of the English Nation Made by Sea or Over-land to the Remote and Farthest Distant Quarters of the Earth at any time within the compasse of these 1600 Yeeres |volume=IX Made to Florida and New Mexico; certeine Voyages made for the discovery of the Gulfe of California, and to the famous city of Mexico, with the Discourses and Letters depending upon the Voyages of this ninth Volume |contribution=The second voyage unto Florida, made and written by Captaine Laudonniere, which fortified and inhabited there two Summers and one whole Winter |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KFYMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA5 |location=Glasgow |year=1904 |publisher=James MacLehose & Sons }}.
  • {{Cite book |last=Harris |first=David R. |year=1965 |title=Plants, Animals and Man in the Outer Leeward Islands, West Indies: An Ecological Study of Antigua, Barbuda, and Anguilla |url=https://archive.org/details/plantsanimalsman0018davi |url-access=registration |location=Berkeley, Calif. |publisher=University of California Press |oclc=493942}}
  • {{cite book | last=Law | first=Gwillim | title=Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference | publisher=McFarland | year=1999 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXCeCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 | isbn=978-0-7864-6097-7 | chapter=Chapter XIV. Anguilla | page=[https://archive.org/details/administrativesu0000lawg/page/29 29] | url=https://archive.org/details/administrativesu0000lawg/page/29 }}
  • {{cite book|last=Kobbé|first=Montague|title=The Night of the Rambler|publisher=Akashic Books|year=2013|isbn=9781617751813|location=New York}}
  • {{cite book|last=Kobbé|first=Montague|title=On the Way Back|publisher=Akashic Books|year=2016|isbn=9781617754418|location=New York}}
  • {{cite book|last=Marten|first=Neil|title={{sic|Thei|r's|hide=y}} Not to Reason Why: Study of the Anguillan Operations as Presented to Parliament|publisher=Conservative Political Centre|year=1969|isbn=0-85070-437-5|location=London|author-link=Neil Marten}}
  • {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Robert Montgomery |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PaUNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA102 |title = Statistics of the Colonies of the British Empire in the West Indies, South America, North America, Asia, Austral-Asia, Africa and Europe; comprising the Area, Agriculture, Commerce, Manufactures, Shipping, Custom Duties, Population, Education, Religion, Crime, Government, Finances, Laws, Military Defence, Cultivated and Waste Lands, Emigration, Rates of Wages, Prices of Provisions, Banks, Coins, Staple Products, Stock, Moveable and Immoveable Property, Public Companies, &c. of Each Colony; with the Charters and the Engraved Seals. From the Official Records of the Colonial Office. |location=London |year=1839 |publisher=William H. Allen & Co. |page=102 }}.
  • {{cite book|last=Westlake|first=Donald|url=https://archive.org/details/underenglishheav00dona|title=Under an English Heaven|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=1972|isbn=0-671-21311-3|location=New York|author-link=Donald E. Westlake|url-access=registration}}

=Government=

  • [http://www.gov.ai/ Government of Anguilla]—Official government website

=General information=

  • [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/anguilla/ Anguilla]. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20090204121925/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/anguilla.htm Anguilla] from UCB Libraries GovPubs
  • [https://anguillafocus.com/ Anguilla Focus]
  • {{Wikiatlas|Anguilla}}
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X74BamQvGHM%7CAnguilla's battle for freedom -- youtube video compilation] archived at [http://ghostarchive.org/varchive/X74BamQvGHM Ghostarchive.org] on 18 May 2022

{{Anguilla}}

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