Anguilla

Past

Anguilla

Background:

Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency.

Environment

Anguilla

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

18 15 N, 63 10 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

61 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Terrain:

flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m

Natural resources:

salt, fish, lobster

Land use:

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Environment - current issues:

supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system

Geography - note:

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

People

Anguilla

Population:

13,677 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.3% (male 1,546/female 1,502)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 4,979/female 4,705)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 423/female 522) (2007 est.)

Median age:

total: 31.6 years
male: 31.6 years
female: 31.5 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.375% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:

13.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:

5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Gender ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.029 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.058 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.033 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.46 years
male: 74.53 years
female: 80.49 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Anguillan(s)
adjective: Anguillan

Ethnic groups:

black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 Census)

Religions:

Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 95%
female: 95% (1984 est.)

Government

Anguilla

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: The Valley
geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 03 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Constitution:

Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; 7 members elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, AUM 19.4%, ANSA 19.2%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1

Judicial branch:

High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court)

Political parties and leaders:

Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert HUGHES]; The Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS] (a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA); Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below

Business

Anguilla

Business - overview:

Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4%
industry: 18%
services: 78% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

6,049 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

23% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.3% (2006 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $22.8 million
expenditures: $22.5 million (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Industries:

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA

Current account balance:

-$42.87 million (2003 est.)

Exports:

$13 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Exports - partners:

UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2006)

Imports:

$143 million (2006)

Imports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico, UK (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$9 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.8 million (1998)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
note: fixed rate since 1976

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Communications

Anguilla

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,800 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system
international: country code - 1-264; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

3,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ai

Internet hosts:

319 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

3,000 (2002)

Transportation

Anguilla

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 175 km
paved: 82 km
unpaved: 93 km (2004)

Ports and terminals:

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Security

Anguilla

Manpower available for military service:

males age 18-49: 3,614 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 18-49: 2,986 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:

males age 18-49: 120 (2005 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

International

Anguilla

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008 Source: The World Factbook