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Geography of Anguilla

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Anguilla
Map of Anguilla
Continent North America
Subregion Caribbean
Geographic coordinates 18°15′N 63°10′W / 18.250°N 63.167°W / 18.250; -63.167
Area
 - Total
 - Water 		Ranked 227th
91 km²
0 km
Coastline 61 km
Land boundaries 0 km
Highest point Crocus Hill, 73 m
Lowest point Caribbean Sea, 0 m
Largest inland body of water Road Bay Pond
Land Use
 - Arable land
 - Permanent crops
 - Other
0 %
0 %
100 % (2012 est.)
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Natural resources salt, fish, lobster
Natural hazards hurricanes, tropical storms (June to November)
Environmental issues low water supplies

Anguilla is an island in the Leeward Islands. It has numerous bays, including Barnes, Little, Rendezvous, Shoal, and Road Bays.

Statistics

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Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 18°15′ N, 63°10′ W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

  • total: 91 km2 (35 sq mi)
  • land: 91 km2 (35 sq mi)
  • water: 0 km2 (0 sq mi)

Area – comparative: about half the size of Washington, D.C.

Coastline: 61 km

Maritime claims:

  • exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
  • territorial sea: 3 nmi (5.6 km; 3.5 mi)

Climate: tropical moderated by northeast trade winds

Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Elevation extremes:

  • lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
  • highest point: Crocus Hill 73 m

Natural resources: salt, fish, lobster

Land use:

  • arable land: 0%
  • permanent crops: 0%
  • permanent pastures: 0%
  • forests and woodland: 61.1%
  • other: 38.9% (mostly rock with some commercial salt ponds)

Natural hazards: frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Environment – current issues: supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system.

Islands and cays

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Anguilla islands and cays

The territory of Anguilla consists of the island of Anguilla itself (by far the largest), as well as numerous other islands and cays, most of which are very small and uninhabited. These include:

Districts

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Anguilla is divided into fourteen districts:

A map of the 14 districts of Anguilla
District Population (2011)[1]
Blowing Point 870
East End 671
George Hill 879
Island Harbour 988
North Hill 464
North Side 1980
Sandy Ground 230
Sandy Hill 636
South Hill 1722
Stoney Ground 1549
The Farrington 624
The Quarter 959
The Valley 1067
West End 813

Climate

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Anguilla features a tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification. The island has a rather dry climate, moderated by northeast trade winds. Temperatures vary little throughout the year. Average daily maxima range from about 27 °C (80.6 °F) in December to 30 °C (86 °F) in July. With no mountains to slow or trap clouds, rainfall is erratic, averaging about 900 mm (35.4 in) per year, the wettest months being September and October, and the driest February and March. Anguilla is vulnerable to hurricanes from June to November, peak season August to mid-October. The island suffered damage from Hurricane Luis in 1995, severe flooding of 1.5 to 6 metres (5 to 19.5 feet) from Hurricane Lenny in 1999 and severe damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017, which remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the island.

Climate data for The Valley - capital of Anguilla
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28
(82) 		28
(82) 		28
(82) 		28
(82) 		30
(86) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		30
(86) 		29
(84) 		28
(82) 		30
(86)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26
(79) 		26
(79) 		26
(79) 		27
(81) 		27
(81) 		28
(82) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		28
(82) 		27
(81) 		26
(79) 		27
(81)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		25
(77) 		25
(77) 		26
(79) 		26
(79) 		26
(79) 		26
(79) 		26
(79) 		25
(77) 		24
(75) 		23
(73)
Average precipitation cm (inches) 7
(2.8) 		4
(1.6) 		4
(1.6) 		7
(2.8) 		9
(3.5) 		7
(2.8) 		8
(3.1) 		11
(4.3) 		11
(4.3) 		9
(3.5) 		11
(4.3) 		9
(3.5) 		102
(40)
Source: Weatherbase[2]

Vegetation

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Anguilla's coral and limestone terrain provide no subsistence possibilities for forests, woodland, pastures, crops, or arable lands. Its dry climate and thin soil hamper commercial agricultural development. In Anguilla forest cover is around 61% of the total land area, equivalent to 5,500 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990.[3][4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Districts of Anguilla". Archived from the original on 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  2. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for The Valley".
  3. ^ Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2023.
  4. ^ "Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Anguilla". Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.

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