Simple directory > Regional > Anguilla

Country : Anguilla Official name: Anguilla Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II; represented by Governor Alan E Huckle (from 28 May 2004) Head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming (ANA) (since Mar 2000) Ruling party: Anguilla United Front (AUF), comprising the Anguilla National Alliance (ANA) and the Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP) (since 2000; re-elected 21 Feb 2005) Area: 96 square km (Anguilla 91 square km, Sombrero 5 square km) Population: 12,600 (2004) Capital: The Valley Official language: English Currency: East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents Exchange rate: EC$2.70 per US$ (fixed rate) GDP per capita: US$8,600 (2003) GDP real growth: 4.00% (2003) Labour force: 6,049 (2003) Unemployment: 6.70% (2003) Inflation: 7.00% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$78.30 million (2003) Foreign debt: US$8.80 million (2003) Visitor numbers: 46,915 (2003) (stay-over)

Historical profile

Anguilla was discovered some 4,000 years ago by an Arawak-speaking Amerindian people who called it Malliouhana. The Arawaks were originally from the Orinoco region of South America.

1650–1967 Anguilla was a British colony.

1745 and 1796 Anguilla repelled attacks by France.

1882 Anguilla became part of a larger colony governed from St Kitts.

1967 St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla became a state, in association with the UK. (The status of an associated state allowed St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla to become independent internally while the British government retained responsibility for external affairs and defence).

1969 The Anguillians rebelled and British security forces were sent to Anguilla to install a British commissioner.

1971 The Anguilla Act was passed by the British parliament. A major provision of the Anguilla Act stated that, should St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla initiate legislative steps to terminate the status of association, Anguilla could be separated formally from the other islands.

Late-1970s Given the imminence of St Kitts and Nevis' independence from Great Britain, Anguilla separated from the Associated State of St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla.

1980 Anguilla became a British Dependent Territory.

1982 A new constitution gave Anguilla greater control over its internal affairs.

1994 The Anguilla United Party (AUP) was elected and its leader, Hubert Hughes, became chief minister.

1999 Chief Minister Hubert Hughes was re-elected when the ruling coalition of AUP and Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP) won four of the seven seats in the legislature. The number of coalition seats fell to three when Victor Banks, a former ally of Hughes, and leader of the ADP, resigned.

2000 Hughes called a general election – four years early – in order to break the constitutional deadlock and to try to retain his post. Hughes and the ANP lost the election, which was won by the Anguilla United Front (AUF), comprising the Anguilla National Alliance (ANA) and the Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP); Osbourne Fleming (ANA) was appointed chief minister.

2003 On 2 July, Alan Huckle was appointed governor.

2004 On 28 May, Alan Huckle took office as governor.

2005 The governing AUF was re-elected in the 21 February parliamentary elections.

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