2015 Edition

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.

Area

land

91 sq km

total

91 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Coastline

61 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Crocus Hill 65 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system

Geographic coordinates

18 15 N, 63 10 W

Geography - note

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%

agricultural land

0%

forest

61.1%

other

38.9% (mostly rock with some commercial salt ponds) (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

3 nm

Natural hazards

frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Natural resources

salt, fish, lobster

Terrain

flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Age structure

0-14 years

22.84% (male 1,917/female 1,833)

15-24 years

14.06% (male 1,150/female 1,159)

25-54 years

44.73% (male 3,312/female 4,032)

55-64 years

9.88% (male 783/female 839)

65 years and over

8.48% (male 690/female 703) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

12.67 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

43%

note

percent of women aged 15-45 (2003)

Death rate

4.57 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 94.6% of population

total: 94.6% of population

urban: 5.4% of population

total: 5.4% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.8% of GDP (2008)

Ethnic groups

black 90.1%, mixed 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

2.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

3.78 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.37 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

83.98 years (2015 est.)

male

78.71 years

total population

81.31 years

Major urban areas - population

THE VALLEY (capital) 1,000 (2014)

Median age

female

35.7 years (2014 est.)

male

32.4 years

total

34.1 years

Nationality

adjective

Anguillan

noun

Anguillan(s)

Net migration rate

12.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Population

16,418 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

2.03% (2015 est.)

Religions

Protestant 83.3% (includes Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, Pentecostal 7.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 7.6%, Church of God 7.6%, Baptist 7.3%, Presbytarian .2%), Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.5%, other 5.1%, unspecified 0.3%, none 4% (2001 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 97.9% of population

total: 97.9% of population

urban: 2.1% of population

total: 2.1% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.82 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.98 male(s)/female

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

total population

0.92 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.75 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.19% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

geographic coordinates

18 13 N, 63 03 W

name

The Valley

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

several previous; latest 1 April 1982; amended 1990 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Anguilla

note

the name Anguilla means "eel" in various Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French) and likely derives from the island's lengthy shape

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Executive Council appointed by the governor from among elected members of the House of Assembly

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Christina SCOTT (since 23 July 2013)

elections/appointments

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

head of government

Chief Minister Hubert HUGHES (since 16 February 2010)

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

Government type

NA

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include Anguilla; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the 9 member states; High Court judges reside in 7 member states, though none resides 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

Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court

Legal system

common law based on the English model

Legislative branch

description

unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; seven members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, two appointed by the governor, and two ex officio members - the attorney general and deputy governor; members serve five-year terms)

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

elections

last held on 22 April 2015 (next to be held in 2015)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Alex RICHARDSON

name

"God Bless Anguilla"

note

local anthem adopted 1981; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)

National holiday

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

National symbol(s)

dolphin

Political parties and leaders

Anguilla United Front or AUF [Victor BANKS] (an alliance of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA)

Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Dr. Ellis WEBSTER]

Democracy, Opportunity, Vision, and Empowerment Party or DOVE [Sutcliffe HODGE]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Budget

expenditures

$65.11 million (2014 est.)

revenues

$64.22 million

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2010)

6.5% (31 December 2009)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8.9% (31 December 2014 est.)

9.08% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$51.8 million (2014 est.)

-$47.9 million (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$8.8 million (1998)

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 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 tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions.

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

2.7 (2014 est.)

2.7 (2013 est.)

2.7 (2012 est.)

2.7 (2011 est.)

2.7 (2010 est.)

Exports

$11.7 million (2014 est.)

$4.3 million (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

41.4%

government consumption

19.2%

household consumption

76.8%

imports of goods and services

-58.3%

investment in fixed capital

20.9%

investment in inventories

0%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.6%

industry

24.4%

services

73% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$12,200 (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-8.5% (2009 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$175.4 million (2009 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$175.4 million (2009 est.)

$191.7 million (2008 est.)

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$138.3 million (2014 est.)

$127.7 million (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Industrial production growth rate

2% (2014 est.)

Industries

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.1% (2014 est.)

3.2% (2013 est.)

Labor force

6,049 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining

4%

commerce

36%

construction

18%

manufacturing

3%

services

29% (2000 est.)

transportation and utilities

10%

Population below poverty line

23% (2002 est.)

Public debt

19.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

20.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$393.3 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$381.8 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$474.6 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$460.4 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$16.7 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$15.95 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

36.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

8% (2002)

Broadcast media

1 private TV station; multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available; about 10 radio stations, one of which is government-owned (2007)

Internet country code

.ai

Internet users

percent of population

26% (2009)

total

3,700

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

fixed-line teledensity is roughly 40 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 170 per 100 persons

general assessment

modern internal telephone system

international

country code - 1-264; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

37 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

5,900

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

162 (2014 est.)

total

26,000

Television broadcast stations

1 (1997)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2013)

total

1

Airports - with unpaved runways

1 (2013)

total

1

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Roadways

paved

82 km

total

175 km

unpaved

93 km (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49

3,641 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

3,397 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

3,009

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

113 (2010 est.)

male

111

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe