t St.Gerard’s Catholic Church with Wallblake House in background
t St.Gerard’s Catholic Church with Wallblake House in background
Experience Anguilla
Just 16 miles (25 km) from end to end and 3 miles (5 km) across at its widest point, long and thin Anguilla was named after the Spanish or French word for eel. The island is scrubby and fairly flat, but its coral base provides numerous beaches of blindingly white sand. It has a population of around 14,000, with a mere 1,000 inhabitants living in the villagey inland capital, The Valley.
Anguilla was colonized by English settlers from St. Kitts in 1650, though the arid soil and scarcity of fresh water meant that it never became a successful plantation island. In 1967, it was made part of an associated state with St. Kitts and Nevis. This was contrary to the wishes of Anguillans, who revolted against the arrangement; British paratroopers were flown in to restore control in 1969. The island is now a separate, largely autonomous British overseas territory. Since the 1980s, it has established itself as one of the Caribbean’s most desirable upscale vacation destinations, and an offshore banking haven. Though Anguilla suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Irma in September 2017, it has recovered fairly quickly.