Anguilla
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly)Independence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Anguilla as the 2021 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 116 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. On 7 September 2017, the island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Irma, particularly to communications and residential and business infrastructure.
Geography
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
17 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
People and Society
28 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2021 est.)
Male · female
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:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.81 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.79 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.9 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Environment
4 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 100% of total population (2021)
- rate of urbanization:
- 0.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Premier Dr. Ellis WEBSTER (since 30 June 2020)
21 fieldsHouse of Assembly, 11 seats, elected 29 June 2020one dot, one seat
Composition: 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 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)
- etymology:
- name derives from the capital's location between several hills
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Dileeni DANIEL-SELVARATNAM; (since 18 January 2021)
- head of government:
- Premier Dr. Ellis WEBSTER (since 30 June 2020); note - starting in 2019, the title of head of government was changed to premier from chief minister of Anguilla
- 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 premier 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 29 June 2020 (next to be held in 2025)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - APM 7, AUF 4;
- composition - NA
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:
- Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court
Political parties and leaders
- Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP
- Anguilla National Alliance or ANA
- Anguilla Progressive Movement or APM [Dr. Ellis WEBSTER]; prior to 2019, it was known as the Anguilla United Movement or AUM
- Anguilla United Front or AUF [Victor BANKS] (alliance includes ADP, ANA)
- Democracy, Opportunity, Vision, and Empowerment Party or DOVE [Sutcliffe HODGE]
International organization participation
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Diplomatic representation from the US
embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000
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, is unsuited for agriculture, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants.
29 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 est.)
Economic 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.
Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture:
- 74.1%
- industry:
- 3%
- services:
- 18%
- agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining:
- 4% (2000 est.)
- manufacturing:
- 3% (2000 est.)
- construction:
- 18% (2000 est.)
- transportation and utilities:
- 10% (2000 est.)
- commerce:
- 36% (2000 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$76.38 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $48.14 million (31 December 2015 est.)
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2017 est.) · 2.7 (2016 est.) · 2.7 (2015 est.) · 2.7 (2014 est.) · 2.7 (2013 est.)
Communications
6 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2018–21 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- modern internal telephone system with fiber-optic trunk lines;
- telecom sector provides a relatively high contribution to overall GDP;
- numerous competitors licensed, but small and localized;
- major growth sectors include the mobile telephony and data segments (2020)
- domestic:
- fixed-line teledensity is about 42 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 182 per 100 persons (2019)
- 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)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production;
many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes;
the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments but the contribution to the sector has been insufficient to offset steep falls in other areas of the market
Broadcast media
- 1 private TV station;
- multi-channel cable TV subscription services are available;
- about 10 radio stations, one of which is government-owned
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4
Military and Security
1 fieldTransnational Issues
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Anguilla.” The World Factbook 2021. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/anguilla/2021.