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macrohistory & world report

Anguilla

Geography

Islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. Equivalent in size to 10 by 10 kilometers, or roughly 6.3 by 6.3 miles. Capital: The Valley.

Government and Recent History

This island in the Caribbean Sea, 102 square kilometers and a population of 1,308 in July 2004, had been ruled by the British from 1650 to 1980, .when it became a  British dependency -- an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Originally the British called it Saint Kitts.

It's chief of state is Queen Elizabeth II who is represented in Anguilla by Governor Alan Eden Huncle. Local rule includes a House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, with two ex-officio members, and two members appointed, serving five-year terms. At the top of local government is the Chief Minister, elected by popular vote. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization lists Anguilla as one of the 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories of the world since 1945

Economy

Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.

Factbook: "Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. "

Estimated per capita GDP

2008: $12,200

GDP annual real (not per capita) growth rate estimate

2009: -8.5%

Dry climate and thin soil hamper commercial agricultural development. No arable land.

Population

Living in an urban area: 100% (2008)

July 2010: 14,769
July 2007: 13,677
2005: 13,254 in 2005

Density estimated for 2005: 130 per square kilometer, about twice that of French Polynesia.

Migration

2010: More arriving than leaving. A net gain of 13.55 per 1,000 population

Health

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live birth)

2010: 3.49

Average life expectancy at birth

2010: 80.77 years
2007: 77.46

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Copyright © 2010 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.