Anguilla

Basic Data

Anguilla is the most northerly of the British Leeward Islands and is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Under British rule since 1650, it spent more than 150 years as an incorporated dependency with neighboring islands called the West Indies Associated States. After a long struggle for secession, Anguilla was finally recognized as a separate British dependency in 1980. The British monarch serves as chief of state, represented in the island's government by a Governor. A Chief Minister presides over the legislative body, called the House of Assembly. English is the island's official language. The population is estimated at approximately 12,000, with a 95-percent literacy rate. Luxury tourism and offshore financial services comprise the largest sectors of the Anguillan economy, with fishing, construction and remittances from émigrés abroad providing smaller contributions.

As a British dependency, laws governing freedom of the press are the same as those in the United Kingdom, providing for an unrestricted free press. Journalists can, however, be compelled to reveal their sources or face contempt of court charges. Anguilla supports two weekly community newspapers, The Light and The Anguillian. The Light is published by "What We Do in Anguilla," which publishes a namesake monthly visitor's magazine. The Anguillian launched in December 1998. Both titles publish in English from Anguilla's capital, The Valley. For more timely print news, Anguillan's read the Daily Herald, a St. Martin newspaper that publishes Monday through Saturday and arrives on Anguilla by late morning, and The Chronicle, which is published in Dominica.

Five AM and six FM radio stations, and one television station, broadcast to approximately 3,000 radios and 1,000 television sets. There are 16 Internet service providers.