Anguilla
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly)Independence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Anguilla as the 2016 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
18 fieldsLand useshare of 91 sq km
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
Environment - current issues
supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system
People and Society
26 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2016 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2016 est.)
Male · female(2016 est.)
Ethnic groups(2011 est.)
Religions(2011 est.)
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
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.82 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.9 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.91 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
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 (2016)
Government
Parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Chief Minister Hubert HUGHES (since 16 February 2010)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
House of Assembly, 7 seats, elected 22 April 2015one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
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 island's 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)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Christina SCOTT (since 23 July 2013)
- head of government:
- Chief Minister Hubert HUGHES (since 16 February 2010)
- cabinet:
- Executive Council appointed by the governor from among elected members of the House of Assembly
- 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
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)
- elections:
- last held on 22 April 2015 (next to be held in 2015)
- 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
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
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]
International organization participation
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
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 anthem
- name:
- "God Bless Anguilla"
- lyrics/music:
- Alex RICHARDSON
note: local anthem adopted 1981; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
Economy
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants.
33 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2015 est.)
By end use% of GDP
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.
Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining:
- 4%
- manufacturing:
- 3%
- construction:
- 18%
- transportation and utilities:
- 10%
- commerce:
- 36%
- services:
- 29% (2000 est.)
Central bank discount rate
6.5% (31 December 2010) · 6.5% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 52
Commercial bank prime lending rate
9.1% (31 December 2015 est.) · 9.09% (31 December 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Stock of narrow money
$25.98 million (31 December 2015 est.) · $19.08 million (31 December 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Stock of broad money
$393 million (31 December 2015 est.) · $385.3 million (31 December 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 186
Stock of domestic credit
$422.5 million (31 December 2015 est.) · $435.6 million (31 December 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Current account balance
-$50.1 million (2015 est.) · -$46.9 million (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Debt - external
$8.8 million (1998) · $41.04 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 201
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2015 est.) · 2.7 (2014 est.) · 2.7 (2013 est.) · 2.7 (2012 est.) · 2.7 (2011 est.)
Communications
6 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(July 2015 est.)
Telephone system
- general assessment:
- modern internal telephone system
- domestic:
- fixed-line teledensity is about 35 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 160 per 100 persons
- 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 (2015)
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)
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 2; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3 (2015)
Military and Security
1 fieldTransnational Issues
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Anguilla.” The World Factbook 2016. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/anguilla/2016.