ANGUILLA


ECONOMY:
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. The economy, and especially the tourism sector, suffered a setback in late 1995 due to the effects of Hurricane Luis in September but recovered in 1996. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, contributed to economic growth in 1997-98. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financing sector. A comprehensive package of financial services legislation was enacted in late 1994. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend on the tourism sector and, therefore, on continuing income growth in the industrialized nations as well as favorable weather conditions.

DESCRIPTION
Anguilla is a small, secluded, flat, skinny island. The climate is dry and the beaches are beautiful. Legend has it that Christopher Columbus spotted the island from his ship and named it Anguilla, which means eel in Spanish. Tourism came late to Anguilla, with an explosion in the 1980's. The island is known as a retreat for celebrities, and is sometimes called the "South Beach" of the Caribbean.

There is some disagreement among historians as to whether Columbus came upon the island of Anguilla. Some say he did spot it and named it Anguilla, Spanish for "eel," because of its long and slim shape. Others say he never did discover the small island. At any rate, the island was inhabited by peaceful Arawak Indians when British settlers arrived in 1650.

Of course, the French eventually became interested in the island. In 1745, a large troop of French soldiers landed at Crocus Bay and attempted to overrun the English colony. They were unsuccessful, however, just as they were several decades later, in 1796. On both occasions, although the mostly British colonists were outnumbered, they managed to repel the French invaders. Thus Anguilla is one of the few Caribbean islands to be ruled by one empire throughout the colonization of the New World. In 1825, England deemed the three islands of St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla a single Crown Colony.

A century later, during the 1950s, Anguillans began to convey their displeasure at being lumped together with St. Kitts and Nevis. On two occasions, they appealed to the British government for direct rule, but were essentially ignored. When Britain made the three-island colony an associated state in 1967, Anguilla seceded from the trio, refusing to be subservient to a legislature based in St. Kitts—an island 70 miles away.

For two years, the islanders were self-governed. Then in 1968, the British government sent in one of their senior officials, who worked with the Anguilla Council for an entire year. In 1969, a referendum confirmed the Anguillans wished to remain apart from St. Kitts and Nevis, and one month later, British paratroopers landed on the island for a "peacekeeping" mission. To their surprise they were met by smiling Anguillans who wholeheartedly welcomed their presence. Britain officially made Anguilla a Crown Colony again in 1971. A new constitution was adopted in 1976, with a group of elected ministers tending to most of the island's affairs.

With its political problems behind it, Anguilla then began to concentrate on the tourist industry. Fortunately, the government has taken measures to ensure development occurs at a slow and steady pace to preserve the island's beauty and natural surroundings.
Anguilla's dry climate and its limestone composition make it unsuitable for agriculture crops; as a result, the island did not witness the slave importation and plantation society of many other Caribbean islands. Instead, its residents have historically excelled at fishing and boat-building.