British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) | Anguilla (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 22.8% (male 1,557/female 1,510)
15-64 years: 70.4% (male 4,878/female 4,608) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 412/female 512) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 3 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006) |
Area | total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | about half the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. | 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. |
Birth rate | - | 14.17 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $22.8 million
expenditures: $22.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | - | name: The Valley
geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 04 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds |
Coastline | 698 km | 61 km |
Constitution | - | Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 |
Country name | conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla |
Death rate | - | 5.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $8.8 million (1998) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $9 million (2004 est.) |
Economy - overview | All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. | Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed 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 tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 42.6 million kWh |
Electricity - production | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system |
Ethnic groups | - | black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 Census) |
Exchange rates | - | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | - | $14.56 million (2005 est.) |
Exports - commodities | - | lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum |
Exports - partners | - | UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2004) |
Fiscal year | - | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag | 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 blue wavy water below |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 4%
industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 10.2% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 6 00 S, 71 30 E | 18 15 N, 63 10 W |
Geography - note | archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility | the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | - | $129.9 million (2005 est.) |
Imports - commodities | - | fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles |
Imports - partners | - | US, Puerto Rico, UK (2004) |
Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | 3.1% (1997 est.) |
Industries | - | tourism, boat building, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 20.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 5.3% |
International organization participation | - | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | - | High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) |
Labor force | - | 6,049 (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: NEGL
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005) |
Languages | - | English (official) |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%, AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 77.28 years
male: 74.35 years female: 80.3 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.) |
Location | Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Political Map of the World | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | - | Anguilla Day, 30 May |
Nationality | - | noun: Anguillan(s)
adjective: Anguillan |
Natural hazards | NA | frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October) |
Natural resources | coconuts, fish, sugarcane | salt, fish, lobster |
Net migration rate | - | 6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert HUGHES]; The Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.) |
13,477 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | 23% (2002) |
Population growth rate | - | 1.57% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Diego Garcia | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | NA | - |
Religions | - | Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 Census) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 6,200 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 1,800 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) | flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 8% (2002) |
Waterways | none | - |