anguilla (u.k.)
Brief overview of Anguilla
Anguilla is a Caribbean Island, which means it lies in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico and north of St. Martin. It belongs to the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. It is a British overseas territory, Anguilla recognizes Britain’s monarch as their head of state, and has not become independent. While, it is internally self-governing, Britain handles the country’s foreign relations and defense.
Although it was originally populated by Amerindian tribes from South America, Europeans began to explore the island in the late 1400s or early 1500s, among them the French, Dutch, and Spanish.
However, it was the British who officially colonized Anguilla, beginning in 1650. By 1653, Africans were brought there, and forced to work as slaves. For this reason, about 90% of Anguilla’s population today is of African descent.
Did you know?
Anguilla is the only country in the world that features a dolphin in its flag. Anguilla used to be known as Snake Island. Not because it has a lot of snakes but the reason why Anguilla was given this curious reptilian name is because of the island’s elongated shape. The word “Anguilla” itself came from the Spanish word “anguila”, which means “eel”.
culture/religion/traditions
Anguilla's national flag
The national flag of Anguilla has a blue background and a British flag in the canton. It also features Anguilla’s coat of arms in the fly, which contains three playful orange (or golden) dolphins leaping in a circle. They represent endurance, unity, and strength. Below them, the turquoise-blue base represents the Caribbean Sea.
CULTURE
Anguilla’s original Taino population has long disappeared, but the descendants of the West African slaves and their masters from Great Britain and Ireland now live peacefully together. Today, Anguilla’s culture is a unique mix of stately British traditions and a lively Caribbean spirit. The poor soil preventing Anguilla from developing a strong plantation system during colonial times also spared Anguilla many of the racial tensions plaguing other Caribbean islands.
RELIGION & TRADITIONS
The United States dollar may be Anguilla’s most commonly accepted currency other than its official East Caribbean dollar, but Anguilla is otherwise dominated by British influences, from driving on the left side of the street to celebrating traditional holidays like Whit Monday. However, Anguillans are also deservedly proud of their own peaceful and unique culture, which places a strong emphasis on faith, family, and friendliness.
The more colorful side of Anguilla’s culture comes out in its 15 art galleries, its thrilling boat regattas, especially the three-day Anguilla Regatta held each May (Road Bay), and the bright jewelry, caftans, and kurtas made and sold in many boutiques. Live music and barefoot dancing are staples at most beach bars, but no celebration on the island is louder or livelier than the annual Anguilla Summer Festival.
Facts about anguilla
Anguilla at a glance
POPULATION SIZE & PEOPLE
14,800 people living on Anguilla. It does not take long to get from one side of the island to the other side as the entire island is only 16 miles long. In addition, it’s only about 3 miles wide. It is said that there are a lot of goats in Anguilla. There are so many that one has to be careful when driving. Considering the fact that there are only about 14,800 people living on Anguilla, the joke is that perhaps the goats might outnumber them sometime soon.
LANGUAGE
Even though Standard English is Anguilla’s official language, many word pronunciations and meanings that they use there may be very different from the English you speak. Anguillian English is closer to that which is used in the United Kingdom, rather than American English. In addition, syntax and grammar used in common speech may be different as well.
Furthermore, Anguillian English incorporates many words you may not have heard of, such as:
- Booloonjee: an eggplant.
- Boot-up: to collide
- Apsy-clapse: difficulty or confusion
(Definitions from whatwedoinanguilla.com)
ECONOMY
Anguilla has focused its development on tourism, its related construction industry, and offshore finance. The first comprehensive financial services legislation was enacted in late 1994. As such, the economy of Anguilla depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Due to its small size, few natural resources, and reliance on tourism and foreign direct investment, Anguilla is vulnerable to external economic conditions in the United States, Canada and Europe. Therefore, economic growth in Anguilla can be very volatile.
history
Anguilla throughout the history
In the 19th century, Anguilla's major product was salt produced by evaporation on the shores of the island's lakes, which was exported to the United States. Sugar, cotton, sweetcorn, and tobacco were also grown. By the beginning of World War I, the island had been almost entirely deforested by charcoal-burners. Most of the land was held by black sustenance farmers producing sweet potatoes, peas, beans, and corn and rearing sheep and goats. Salt continued to be exported to nearby Saint Thomas, along with phosphate of lime and cattle.
Anguilla’s official history began about 4,000 years ago, when the Taino people first arrived from South America to this island they called ‘Malliouhana’ because of its arrow shape. The stalagmite created to look like their supreme being, Jocahu, at the former Taino pilgrimage and worship site at Fountain Cavern National Park (Shoal Bay) is among the few surviving remnants of Anguilla’s first civilization.
It’s believed that Christopher Columbus named Anguilla after the Italian word for ‘eel’ because of the island’s narrow shape when he discovered it during his 1493 New World voyage. Anguilla’s first permanent European settlement was not established until the English arrived in 1650, but six years later, Indians destroyed the first corn and tobacco plantations established by the foreign settlers.
Except for a brief French occupation in 1666, Anguilla remained British territory and its economy was thriving by the 1800’s. Although the plantations were smaller than those on many other Caribbean islands due to Anguilla’s sporadic rainfall and poor soil, they nonetheless prospered thanks to its mahogany, indigo, rum, sugar, and cotton exports. The only surviving plantation house is Wallblake House (The Valley).
Many of Anguilla’s former plantation workers successfully established independent careers as sailors, fishermen, or entrepreneurs. Anguilla enjoyed several decades of peace until 1958, the year the island joined the Federation of the West Indies. The most violent time in the island’s history, the Anguilla Revolution began in 1967 after citizens ousted police forces from neighboring St Kitts and Anguilla.
Anguilla wanted to become independent from St Kitts and Nevis, but this goal was not accomplished until 1980, when the island became a separate dependent territory of Great Britain following over a decade of debates and interventions. Today, Anguilla is both a popular tourism destination and tax haven. The three percent interim stabilization levy imposed in 2011 was Anguilla’s first income tax of any kind.
