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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, the capital city is called The Valley, and is situated on the main island of Anguilla.

Name

The name Anguilla is an anglicised or latinate form of earlier Spanish anguila, French anguille, or Italian anguilla, all meaning "eel" in reference to the island's shape. For similar reasons, it was formerly known as Snake or Snake Island.

History

Anguilla was first settled by Indigenous tribes who migrated from South America. The earliest Native American artefacts found on Anguilla have been dated to around 1300 bc; remains of settlements date from ad 600. The Arawak name for the island seems to have been Malliouhana. The date of European colonisation is uncertain: some sources claim that Columbus sighted the island during his second voyage in 1493, while others state that the island was first discovered by the French explorer René Goulaine de Laudonnière in 1564.

Traditional accounts state that Anguilla was first colonised by English settlers from Saint Kitts beginning in 1650. In this early colonial period, however, Anguilla sometimes served as a place of refuge and recent scholarship focused on Anguilla has placed greater significance on other Europeans and creoles migrating from St. Christopher, Barbados, Nevis and Antigua. The French temporarily took over the island in 1666 but returned it to English control under the terms of the Treaty of Breda the next year. A Major John Scott who visited in September, 1667, wrote of leaving the island "in good condition" and noted that in July, 1668, "200 or 300 people fled thither in time of war."

It is likely that some of these early Europeans brought enslaved Africans with them. Historians confirm that African slaves lived in the region in the early 17th century. For example, Africans from Senegal lived in St. Christopher in 1626. By 1672 a slave depot existed on the island of Nevis, serving the Leeward Islands. While the time of African arrival in Anguilla is difficult to place precisely, archival evidence indicates a substantial African presence of at least 100 slaves by 1683. These seem to have come from Central Africa as well as West Africa.

Attempts by the French to capture the island during the War of Austrian Succession (1745) and the Napoleonic Wars (1796) ended in failure.

Anguilla Land Size (Area):

Anguilla has 96 sq km ( 37 square miles) - Population Density is 171 persons per sq km.

Search Engines and Directories:

Anguilla Search Engines[www.searchenginecolossus.com]

Anguilla Open Directory[www.dmoz.org]

Anguilla (Wikipedia)[en.wikipedia.org]
Anguilla Official Government Page[www.gov.ai]
Anguilla Steamladder[www.steamladder.com]