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. On 7 September 2017, the island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Irma, particularly to communications and residential and business infrastructure.

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 63 10 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 91 km²
Land: 91 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 227
Comparative: about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 61 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200
Note: nm

Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Elevation
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Crocus Hill 73 m

Natural resources: salt, fish, lobster

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2016 est.)
Forest: 61.1% (2016 est.)
Other: 38.9% (2016 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Geography
Note: the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

Population
Distribution: most of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlmement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparce in the northeast: 17,422 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 220
Growth rate: 1.92% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 51
Below poverty line: 23% (2002 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Anguillan(s)
Adjective: Anguillan

Ethnic groups:

Languages: English (official)

Religions: Protestant 73.2% (includes Anglican 22.7%, Methodist 19.4%, Pentecostal 10.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.3%, Baptist 7.1%, Church of God 4.9%, Presbytarian 0.2%, Brethren 0.1%), Roman Catholic 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 10.9%, other 3.2%, unspecified 0.3%, none 4.5% (2011 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.01% (male 1954 /female 1880)
15-24 years: 14.06% (male 1231 /female 1219)
25-54 years: 43.27% (male 3,386 /female 4,152)
55-64 years: 11.54% (male 918 /female 1092)
65 years and over: 9.13% (male 786 /female 804) (2018 est.)

Median age
Total: 35.1 years (2018 est.)
Male: 33.2 years
Female: 37 years
Rank: 81

Population growth rate: 1.92% (2018 est.)
Rank: 51

Birth rate: 12.4 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 156

Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 202

Net migration rate: 11.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 7

Population distribution: most of the population is concentrated in The Valley in the center of the island; settlmement is fairly uniform in the southwest, but rather sparce in the northeast

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1,000 THE VALLEY (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.82 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.3 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 3.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 206

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.6 years (2018 est.)
Male: 79 years
Female: 84.3 years
Rank: 25

Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 162

Drinking water source
Urban: 5.4% of population
Total: 5.4% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 2.1% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 2.1% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases: note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Education expenditures
Note: NA

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Anguilla
Etymology: the name Anguilla means eel in various Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French) and likely derives from the islands lengthy shape

Government type: parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK

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): etymology: name derives from the capital's location between several hills

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest 1 April 1982
Amendments: amended 1990 (2018)

Legal system: common law based on the English model

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Tim FOY (since August 2017)
Head of government: Chief Minister Victor BANKS (since 23 April 2015)
Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among elected members of the House of Assembly
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; 7 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 2 appointed by the governor, and 2 ex officio members - the attorney general and deputy governor; members serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 22 April 2015 (next to be held in 2020)
Election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 54.4%, AUM 38.3%, DOVE 1.4%, independent 5.9%; seats by party - AUF 6, independent 1; composition - men 8, women 3, percent of women 27.3%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, travelling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, though none on Anguilla
Judge selection and term of office: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
Subordinate courts: Magistrates Court; Juvenile Court

Political parties and leaders: Anguilla Democratic Party or ADPAnguilla National Alliance or ANAAnguilla United Front or AUF [Victor BANKS] (alliance includes ADP, ANA)Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Dr. Ellis WEBSTER]Democracy, Opportunity, Vision, and Empowerment Party or DOVE [Sutcliffe HODGE]

International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
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 a turquoise-blue field below; the white in the background represents peace; the blue base symbolizes the surrounding sea, as well as faith, youth, and hope; the three dolphins stand for endurance, unity, and strength

National symbols: dolphin

National anthem
Name: God Bless Anguilla
Lyricsmusic: Alex RICHARDSON: note: local anthem adopted 1981; as a territory of the United Kingdom, 'God Save the Queen' is official (see United Kingdom)

Economy overview: Anguilla has few natural resources, is unsuited for agriculture, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector contributing 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 recovery of the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 222

Real gdp growth rate: -8.5% (2009 est.)
Rank: 220

Real gdp per capita: $12,200 (2008 est.)
Rank: 130

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 74.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 26.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 48.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -67.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 10.5% (2017 est.)
Services: 86.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Industries: tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2017 est.)
Rank: 75

Labor force: 6,049 (2001)
Rank: 219
By occupation agriculture: 74.1%
By occupation industry: 3%
By occupation services: 18%
By occupation agriculturefishingforestrymining: 4% (2000 est.)
By occupation manufacturing: 3% (2000 est.)
By occupation construction: 18% (2000 est.)
By occupation transportation and utilities: 10% (2000 est.)
By occupation commerce: 36% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (2002)
Rank: 115

Population below poverty line: 23% (2002 est.)

Budget
Revenues: 81.92 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 80.32 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 34

Taxes and other revenues: 46.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 19

Public debt:
Rank: 189

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 67

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 55

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 90

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 193

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 196

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 183

Current account balance:
Rank: 73

Exports:
Rank: 216
Commodities: lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Imports:
Rank: 211
Commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 183

Debt external:
Rank: 195

Exchange rates:

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 6,000
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (July 2016 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 203
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 26,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 158 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 207

Telephone system
General assessment: modern internal telephone system with fiber-optic trunk lines; telecom sector provides a realatively high contribution to overall GDP; numerous competitors licensed, but small and localized
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 37 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 158 per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-264; landing points for the SSCS, ECFS, GCN and Southern Caribbean Fiber with submarine cable links to Caribbean islands and to the US; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten (2019)

Broadcast media: 1 private TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; about 10 radio stations, one of which is government-owned

Internet
Country code: .ai
Users total: 13,665
Users percent of population: 81.6% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 210

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3 (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: VP-A (2016)

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 197
With paved runways total: 1 (2019)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Roadways
Total: 175 km (2004)
Paved: 82 km (2004)
Unpaved: 93 km (2004)
Rank: 203

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: other 1 (2018)
Rank: 170

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Blowing Point, Road Bay

Disputes international: none

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