Background:
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.