Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, 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. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency.
(Source: The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central
Intelligence Agency, 2009)
For more information
about Anguilla:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
