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Anguilla - Geography

Anguilla, in the northern Leeward Islands, lies 240 kilometers due east of Puerto Rico and 8 kilometers from St. Martin / Sint Maarten, the nearest of the Leeward Islands to the south. Anguilla is twenty-six kilometers long and six kilometers wide, at ninetyone square kilometers about half the size of Washington, DC. It is a flat coral island, with its highest point only sixty-five meters above sea level. Scrub Island, five square kilometers in area, lies just off Anguilla's northeast end. Dog Island, smaller than Scrub Island, lies to the northwest, as do several small cays.

The most northern member of the Leeward Island chain in the Eastern Caribbean and less than ten miles north of St. Martin and 200 miles east of Puerto Rico. The coral and limestone island is low-lying with rock, sparse scrub oak and salt ponds, creating the ideal conditions for perfect weather and breathtaking beaches.

A slender length of coral and limestone fringed with green, the island is ringed with 33 beaches, considered by savvy travelers and top travel magazines, to be the most beautiful in the world. With over 33 unblemished beaches, Anguilla has coast line to suit everyone’s tastes and interests. All Anguilla beaches are public and new construction (including private homes) must allow public access to be approved. Bake on the white coral sand undisturbed, enjoy music and action around you, explore the underwater world, hike rugged terrain, or play in the surf with paddle boards, kayaks and banana boats. It’s just a matter of picking a place to start.

Anguilla has one main road that connects one end of the island to the other, with many smaller roads feeding into it. It takes about 30 minutes to drive its length. Driving is on the left-hand side of the road and the speed limit is 30 mph.

On the road to Crocus Hill, is the area of town that Anguillians refer to as The Old Valley. Here there are a number of architectural examples from Anguilla’s yesteryear. Ebenezer’s Methodist Church, Miss Marjorie’s House, The Warden’s Place, Rose Cottage, and other graceful buildings are a reminder of Anguilla’s beautiful past. Crocus Hill, the highest point on Anguilla at 213 feet above sea level, crowns the beautiful turquoise bay and offers spectacular sunset views as well as a bit of history. Crocus Bay is the site of the first military invasion in 1745. Six or seven hundred French soldiers landed on the beach and were fought off by the English settlers in less than fifteen minutes — the first of three invasions that all ended in the invaders’ defeat.