Anguilla is a small Caribbean island, self-governing but with a special relationship to the UK. Its economy is based on tourism and it has a rich history, including being settled by Amerindians and later colonized by the British. Despite poor soil, it is an ideal tourist destination with friendly people and great weather.
Anguilla is a small island nation in the Caribbean, not far from the island of Puerto Rico. The country is legally a British crown dependency, self-governing but with a special relationship to the United Kingdom. It’s less than 40 square miles, with the longest side spanning just 16 miles.
Just under 15,000 people live in Anguilla, most of whom are Native Anguillians of African descent. An increasing number of foreigners choose to settle in Anguilla, mainly citizens of the United Kingdom or the United States. Many people choose to live in Anguilla for the beautiful scenery, temperate climate and relaxed lifestyle.
Due to its small size and poor soil, Anguilla is not well suited to agriculture. The island also has few natural resources. The economy is therefore based primarily on tourism and provides a haven for overseas businesses, in the manner of many Caribbean nations.
Anguilla was originally settled by Amerindian tribal groups who arrived from mainland South America. While these groups often came from different tribes and cultures, they are commonly referred to as the Arawaks and were the settlers of many of the Caribbean islands in the pre-Columbian period. The first finds date back to more than 3000 years ago and the first traces of permanent settlements are just over 1400 years old.
The western discovery of Anguilla is open to some debate, with some factions claiming that Columbus sighted the island in the early 1490s, and others claiming that first contact was made by the French in the mid-1500s. Regardless of who first sighted the island, it was the British who established the first long-lasting settlement, although the Dutch claim to have had an earlier fort, in the 1650s.
The British farmed on Anguilla, despite a number of hostile forces. The Caribs repeatedly raided the English settlement, and the French later joined in, eventually capturing the island for a time. Crop yields throughout all of this remained quite poor, with Anguilla’s weak soil and somewhat harsh climate providing a less than ideal environment for the popular crops of corn and tobacco.
Most of the British left the island after slavery was abolished in 1830 and the remaining population was mainly freed as slaves. These freed slaves continued to live on the island, surviving by fishing and processing the remaining crops for a meager yield. Around this time Anguilla was also brought into a confederation by the British with neighboring St. Kitts, part of a combined unit that would remain until the 1960s, despite strong protests from Anguillians.
The Anguillians issued a formal secession from the combined state in 1967 and evicted all St. Kitts police from the island. The British made overtures to reach an agreement with the Anguillian interim government and sent a number of British officials over the next few years to try to reach an agreement, none of whom stayed. In 1971 the British had worked out a relatively concerted interim plan, in which Anguilla was allowed to separate from St. Kitts, although it was not until 1980 that Anguilla was fully recognized as an independent British dependency.
Anguilla is a fascinating country with a rich and vibrant history. It is an ideal tourist destination, with friendly people, great weather, amazing coral reefs and diving, and a wide range of accommodation choices. While Anguilla’s legal tender is the East Caribbean dollar, the US dollar is accepted virtually everywhere. This, combined with English as the national language, makes it a very easy place to visit and explore.
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