Overview
If your heart is set on getting away from it all and experiencing a true island escape, Anguilla, with its friendly people and natural attractions, is a perfect choice. Its low lying, arid terrain doesn't leave much in the way of exploration but your consolation prize is the beaches - twelve miles of them - all powder white-sand, beautiful and more often than not, deserted. Anguilla is simply a beach lover's paradise! For the most part, people who visit Anguilla are seeking rest and relaxation...sunbathing, walking on the beaches, swimming and reading are the favorite pastimes.
Anguilla (rhymes with "vanilla") is located roughly 150 miles east of Puerto Rico and just a mere five miles north of St. Maarten. The small little island measures sixteen miles long and three miles wide. Gentle breezes bathe the island continuously resulting in an average temperature of around 80F.
A British dependent territory since 1650 and the most northerly of the Leeward Islands and Lesser Antilles, Anguilla remains greatly untouched by commercial development; the hotels are all discreet low-rise designs complementing both the rocky coral and sandy coastlines.
The interior of the island is mostly evergreen bushland (shrubs) with a sporadic bougainvillea, hibiscus or other blooming plant reminding you of the island's tropical influence. Salt ponds provide bird watching enthusiasts with a glimpse of a variety of species calling Anguilla home including the snowy egret and the great blue heron.
Additional attractions on Anguilla range from their national sport of boat racing and sailing to the local art galleries. If you rent a car for a day to tour the island you'll meet many of the local artists, each perfecting their art and proud to share their talents with you. Anguilla is also noted for its gourmet restaurants, luxury resorts and charming locally owned apartments, inns and guesthouses. If diving is what you're after, Anguilla offers a superb reef system and offshore wrecks to explore. Snorkeling is sensational off Scilly Cay, a two-minute boat trip from Island Harbour on the northeast end of Anguilla.
Shopping (to speak of), nightlife and gambling you won't find on Anguilla but if you need a fix in these areas, don't fret - a trip to St. Maarten is just a 30-minute ferry ride. If you're real ambitious with money to spare, you can hop a small plane to French St. Bart's and enjoy a day of exquisite shopping and world renown French cuisine.
History
Some 4,000 years ago, Anguilla was a lush island covered in dense rain forest. It was discovered by Amerindian peoples from South America's mainland. They called Anguilla "Malliouhana", which meant arrow-shape sea serpent.
Evidence of these Amerindians as old as 3300 years has been found at the eastern end of Anguilla. Shell axes, conch shell drinking vessels, and flint blades from the pre-ceramic era have all been found on Anguilla.
Christopher Columbus sailed by Anguilla in 1493 but never landed. During this time the Europeans changed the island's name from Malliouhana to Anguilla, for its long eel shape.
Anguilla first became colonized in 1650. English settlers found that the soil in Anguilla was good for growing corn and tobacco, so plantations began. When they arrived on the island, there were no Amerindians inhabiting Anguilla, but by 1656 Indians from a neighboring island destroyed their settlement.
In 1666 a French expedition captured Anguilla. The following year the island was returned to Britain under the Treaty of Breda. In 1744 Anguilla, assisted by privateers from St. Kitts captured the French half of neighboring St. Martin.
Retaliation came on May 21, 1745, when two French frigates and some small craft attacked at Crocus Bay. The Anguillians repulsed them in less than fifteen minutes. St. Martin was returned to the French in 1748 under the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Anguilla possessed a plantation economy like most of the Caribbean in the 1800s. Rum, sugar, cotton, indigo, fustic and mahogany were its chief exports. However, the soil on Anguilla was thin and unreliable rainfall made conditions for a plantation economy unfavourable. Estates were small and could not employ many slaves. Eventually, slaves began to develop into individual peasant proprietors, fisherman or sailors, which increased their personal independence.
The 1830's brought the union of St. Kitts -Nevis-Anguilla on Britain's recommendation.
In 1958, St. Kitts -Nevis-Anguilla became part of the Federation of the West Indies. The Federation collapsed in 1962, which resulted in individual constitutions for most islands St. Kitts -Nevis-Anguilla was made an associated statehood, a political decision that sparked the Anguilla Revolution. Anguilla wanted its independence from the state and the proposed union was not a viable option for the island.
May 30, 1967 is celebrated today as Anguilla Day. This day commemorates the repulsion of the Royal St. Kitts Police Force from the island.
On December 19, 1980, Anguilla became a separate Dependent Territory.
Notable Residents
Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro have been known to frequent the island.
close
