Anguilla: Background & Geography

Introduction Anguilla
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.
Geography Anguilla
Location:
 Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates:
 18 15 N, 63 10 W
Map references:
 Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
 total: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 102 sq km
Area - comparative:
 about half the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
 0 km
Coastline:
 61 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 3 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
Climate:
 tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
 flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m
Natural resources:
 salt, fish, lobster
Land use:
 arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 NA sq km
Natural hazards:
 frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues:
 supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system
Geography - note:
 the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

See Also: