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Anguilla is a British overseas territory in the Caribbean,
the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles.
It consists of 5 islands, with the capital, The Valley situated
on the main island of Anguilla. The total area of the territory
is 102 sq km, with a population of approximately 14,000 in
2005.
 Colonized
by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, the island of
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, including a referendum on 11 July 1967 with 1813 votes
for secession and 5 against. In 1971, two years after a revolt
which prompted a British military intervention, Anguilla was
finally allowed to secede from Saint Kitts and Nevis; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla
becoming a separate British dependency, which it remains.
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