Anguilla (/æŋˈɡwɪlə/ang-GWIL-ə) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean.[6] 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.[7] The territory consists of the main island of Anguilla, approximately 16 miles (26 kilometres) long by 3 miles (5 km) 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.[8] The total land area of the territory is 35 square miles (91 km2),[9] with a population of approximately 15,753[2][3] (2021).
Etymology
The native Arawak name for the island was Malliouhana.[7]
In reference to the island's shape, the Italian anguilla, meaning "eel" (in turn, from the Latin diminutive of anguis, "snake") was used as its name.[8][10][11][12] Anguillan tradition holds that Christopher Columbus named the island.[13]
Wallblake House, a plantation house thought to be the oldest building in Anguilla
Anguilla was first settled by Indigenous Amerindian peoples who migrated from South America.[7] The earliest Native American artefacts found on Anguilla have been dated to around 1300 BC; remains of settlements date from AD 600.[14][15]
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.[16]
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.[15] 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.[17]
Traditional accounts state that Anguilla was first colonised by English settlers from Saint Kitts beginning in 1650.[10][18][19] The settlers focused on planting tobacco, and to a lesser extent cotton.[7] 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.[7] 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".[20] The French attacked again in 1688, 1745 and 1798, causing much destruction but failing to capture the island.[7][15]
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.[21] By 1672 a slave depot existed on the island of Nevis, serving the Leeward Islands.[citation needed] 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.[22] The slaves were forced to work on the sugar plantations which had begun to replace tobacco as Anguilla's main crop.[23] Over time, the African slaves and their descendants came to vastly outnumber the white settlers.[23] The African slave trade was eventually terminated within the British Empire in 1807, and slavery outlawed completely in 1834.[23] Many planters subsequently sold up or left the island.[23]
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.[15] Anguilla was federated with St Kitts and Nevis in 1882, against the wishes of many Anguillans.[7] 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.[7]
Flag of the short-lived Republic of Anguilla
Full adult suffrage was introduced to Anguilla in 1952.[7] 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.[24] 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.[25][7][26] The events, led by Atlin Harrigan[27] 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.[7] British authority was restored, and confirmed by the Anguilla Act of July 1971.[7] 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).[28][29][24][6][7] Since then, Anguilla has been politically stable, and has seen a large growth in its tourism and offshore financing sectors.[7]
An aerial view of the western portion of the island of Anguilla. The Blowing Point ferry terminal is visible in the lower right, as are (right to left) Shaddick Point, Rendezvous Bay, Cove Bay and Maundays Bay.
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.[7] 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.[7][8] The soil is generally thin and poor, supporting scrub, tropical and forest vegetation.[8] The terrain is generally low-lying, with the highest terrain located in the vicinity of The Valley; Crocus Hill, Anguilla's highest peak at 240 feet (73 m), lies in the western regions of the town.[8]
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.[30][31]
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.[32] 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.[32][33] Since the late Pleistocene, however, Anguilla has undergone tectonic subsidence at a rate of around 1–2 mm/yr.[34]
Map showing the location of Anguilla relative to Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and other islands to its south
Northeastern trade winds keep this tropical island relatively cool and dry. Average annual temperature is 80 °F (27 °C).[9] July–October is its hottest period, December–February, its coolest.
Rainfall
Rainfall averages 35 inches (890 mm) annually,[9] 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 5 to 20 feet (1.5 to 6 metres) from Hurricane Lenny in 1999 and severe damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the island.[35][36]
As a British overseas territory, the UK is responsible for Anguilla's military defence,[7][8] 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.[37] 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.[38]
The majority of residents (90.08%) are of West African ancestry, most of whom are the descendants of enslaved people transported from Africa.[7] 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. [39]
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.[40]
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.[41] The Wesleyan (Methodist) Missionary Society of England built churches and schools from 1817.[42]
Today most people in Anguilla speak a British-influenced variety of standard English.[8] 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".[46] 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.[47]
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.[48]
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.[22]
The beach at the Cap Juluca resort on Maundays BaySandy Ground beach
The island's cultural history begins with the native Taino, Arawak and Carib. Their artifacts have been found around the island, telling of life before European settlers arrived.[54]
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. Restaurants such as Dolce Vita and Roy's Bayside Grill, located in Sandy Ground, represent the European culture assimilating within the island.
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,[7] the sailboat races, and Lobster Fest. British festivities, such as the King's Birthday, are also celebrated.[55]
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.[56]
Sunshine Shack Beachbar N Grill located in Rendezvous Bay
Anguillan cuisine is influenced by native Caribbean, West African, Spanish, French, and English cuisines.[58] Seafood is abundant, including prawns, shrimp, crab, spiny lobster, conch, mahi-mahi, red snapper, marlin, and grouper.[58]Salt cod is a staple food eaten on its own and used in stews, casseroles and soups.[58] Livestock is limited due to the small size of the island and people there use poultry, pork, goat, and mutton, along with imported beef.[58] Goat is the most commonly eaten meat, used in a variety of dishes.[58] The official national food of Anguilla is pigeon peas and rice.[59]
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.[58] 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,[60] sweet potatoes[60] and breadfruit.[58]
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.[61] 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.[62]
Bankie Banx, 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.
Boat racing has deep roots in Anguillan culture and is the national sport.[7] 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.
Rugby union is represented in Anguilla by the Anguilla Eels RFC, who were formed in April 2006.[63] 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).
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.[66]
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.[67]
Natural history
Wildlife
The Cuban tree frog can be found on the island.
Anguilla has habitat for the Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis).[68] The red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) is a species of tortoise found here, which originally came from South America.[54] Hurricanes in the mid-90s led to over-water dispersal of the green iguanas (Iguana iguana) to Anguilla.[69] All three animals are introductions.[54]
Anguilla's currency is the East Caribbean dollar, though the US dollar is also widely accepted.[7] 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.[71] 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.[72] 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.[73][35][36]
Anguilla's financial system comprises seven banks,[74] 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.[75]
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.[76]
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."[77]
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.[78]
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 5,462 feet (1,665 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[79] in an aviation watershed moment for Anguilla with the airport also currently attempting to attract other international air carriers.[citation needed]
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]
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. Ferries commence service from 7:00 am. There is also a charter service, from Blowing Point, Anguilla, to Princess Juliana Airport to make travel easier. This way of travel is the most common method of transport between Anguilla and St. Martin.[citation needed]
^Robinson, Lisa Clayton (2005). "Anguilla". In Appiah, Kwame Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Africa. Vol. 1 (2 ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 212–213. ISBN9780195223255.
^ abcd"Anguilla's History", The Anguilla House of Assembly Elections, Government of Anguilla, 2007, archived from the original on 13 August 2007, retrieved 9 June 2015
^ abWalicek, 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.
^ abCangialosi, John P.; Andrew S. Latto; Robbie J. Berg (9 March 2018). Hurricane Irma (AL112017)(PDF) (Report). Tropical Cyclone Report. National Hurricane Center. Archived(PDF) from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
^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.
^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.
^Selassie I, PhD, W. Gabriel (2017). Introduction and Analysis: The Holy Piby, The Blackman's Bible. Los Angeles: Orunmilla, Inc. pp. xiii. ISBN978-0986381904.
^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.
Hakluyt, Richard (1904). "The second voyage unto Florida, made and written by Captaine Laudonniere, which fortified and inhabited there two Summers and one whole Winter". 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. Vol. 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. Glasgow: James MacLehose & Sons..
Marten, Neil (1969). Their's Not to Reason Why: Study of the Anguillan Operations as Presented to Parliament. London: Conservative Political Centre. ISBN0-85070-437-5.
24Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under the Antarctic Treaty.
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