Introduction

 

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.

 

Geography

 

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) (2001)

 

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

 

Population: 13,254 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.2% (male 1,561/female 1,517);15-64 years: 69.9% (male 4,767/female 4,501);65 years and over: 6.9% (male 405/female 503) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 30.76 years; male: 30.81 years; female: 30.7 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 1.77% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 14.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female;15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female;65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female; total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 21.03 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.11 years; male: 74.18 years; female: 80.12 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2005 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 1.6% (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

 

Country name: conventional long form: none; conventional short form: Anguilla

 

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK

 

Government type: NA

 

Capital: The Valley

 

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

 

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

 

National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May

 

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 Alan Eden HUCKLE (since 28 May 2004);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 total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%, AUM 19.4%, 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)

 

Economy

 

Economy - 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 - $112 million (2002 est.)
 

GDP - real growth rate: 2.8% (2001 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,500 (2002 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): 2.3%

 

Budget: revenues: $22.8 million; expenditures: $22.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (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

 

Electricity - consumption: 42.6 million kWh

 

Exports: $2.6 million (1999)

 

Exports - commodities: lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

 

Exports - partners: UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2000)

 

Imports: $80.9 million (1999)

 

Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

 

Imports - partners: US, Puerto Rico, UK (2000)

 

Debt - external: $8.8 million (1998)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $9 million (2004 est.)

 

Currency (code): East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

 

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000)

note: fixed rate since 1976

 

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

 

Communications

 

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; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

 

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

 

Internet country code: .ai

 

Internet users: 3,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

Highways: total: 105 km; paved: 65 km; unpaved: 40 km (1997)

 

Ports and harbors: Blowing Point, Road Bay

 

Airports: 3 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1;914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) ;

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2;under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: none
 

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe