The Caribbean Business Community (North America) Inc.

ANGUILLA

Motto:

Strength and Endurance

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. Columbus gave this long, thin island its name - Spanish for "eel". Anguilla is a late bloomer in tourism, with a bloom perhaps all the lovelier for its delay. The raw material for tropical perfection was already there: a soft dry climate, colorfully inhabited reefs, and a shoreline bountiful in sand that is to beachcombers what Aspen's slopes are to skiers. There were already a few lazy gingerbread inns, though meals and recreation were primitive. But in the Seventies the government decided to choreograph an ambitious yet controlled growth in the hospitality industry. Following the hoteliers, talented chefs flocked here as well, offering gourmet French, Italian, and nouvelle West Indian fare. Not to imply that Anguilla has locked step with such jumping islands as the Dominican Republic; far from it. Nightlife is still minimal - a live band or two, the odd modest disco - and though tennis is an option, your golfing clients would be left high and dry.

Archaeology lovers, however, will find ample diversion: aboriginal sites dating back 4,000 years, plus the museum and park at The Fountains, where underground caves display ancient fossils. Several tiny offshore isles provide additional beaches and stepping stones to dive sites beyond Anguilla's convenient snorkeling reefs (seven underwater shipwrecks are within easy boating reach). De rigueur is a jaunt to Scilly Cay, where the sunbathing is divine, surpassed only by the midday grilled seafood.

Anguilla created quite a stir in 1969 when, breaking from St. Kitts and Nevis, it refused independence from Britain. Today the island contentedly remains a Crown Colony and, as such, preserves certain stiff-upper-lip attitudes. Nude bathing is prohibited, and despite the languorous backwater feel to daily life, the evening dress code may strike some as stuffy. This is also an expensive island but its sunny pleasures are well worth the price.

Geography

The most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

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

Area - comparative:

About half the size of Washington, DC

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, pleasant climate fosters tourism

Land use:

Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005)

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

People

Population:

13,477 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.8% (male 1,557/female 1,510)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,878/female 4,608)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 412/female 512) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.57% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:

14.17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:

5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:

6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.81 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

Total population: 77.28 years
Male: 74.35 years
Female: 80.3 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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:

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

Government

Country name:

Anguilla

Dependency status:

Overseas territory of the UK

Capital:

The Valley

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 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
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) Osbourne Berlington Fleming (born February 18, 1940) is the chief minister of Anguilla. He has held that post since March 6, 2000, three days after the Anguilla United Front, a conservative coalition which includes Fleming's Anguilla National Alliance won parliamentary elections, gaining at least 4 of the 7 seats. 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)

Political parties and leaders:

Elections last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010)

Mr.Osbourne Berlington Fleming is the chief minister of Anguilla. (born February 18, 1940) He has held that post since March 6, 2000, three days after the Anguilla United Front, a conservative coalition which includes Fleming's Anguilla National Alliance won parliamentary elections, gaining at least 4 of the 7 seats.

International organization participation:

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:

(Overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

None

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

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:

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 18%
Services: 78% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

23% (2002)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.3% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

6,049 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

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

Unemployment rate:

8% (2002)

Budget:

Revenues: $22.8 million
Expenditures: $22.5 million; including capital Expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries:

Tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (1997 est.)

Agriculture - products:

Small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Exports:

$14.56 million (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

Lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Exports - partners:

UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2004)

Imports:

$129.9 million (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:

Fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Imports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico, UK

Debt - external:

$8.8 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient:

$9 million (2004 est.)

Currency:

East Caribbean dollar (XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollar (XCD) 2.7000 (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)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

36,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1(1997)

Televisions:

31,000 (1997)

Internet hosts:

403 (2006)

Internet users:

3,000 (2002)

Transportation

Airports:

Highways:

Total: 175 km
Paved: 82 km
Unpaved: 93 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Military

Defense is the responsibility of the UK