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Anguilla

Anguilla
A Changing Economy and a Changing Culture

The Caribbean has long drawn tourists to its beautiful beaches and tropical isles. The islands that make up the Caribbean all have their own histories, cultures, and atmospheres. Some Caribbean islands became tourist hot spots decades ago, and others are only beginning to develop their tourist industry. The island of Anguilla has recently emerged as the "it" location for celebrities and the wealthy alike. This paper will discuss the current economic situation in Anguilla and the evolution of Anguilla from an arid island to the number one tourist destination in the Caribbean. It will further address the historical and cultural factors that have made the island so appealing to the wealthy, and lastly discuss how the growth and development on the island has influenced the culture of the islands inhabitants both positively and negatively.
Anguilla is a very arid island; the island itself is a coral atoll that is home to some of the most magnificent beaches in the world. Anguilla has actually been named in many travel periodicals as having the best beaches in the Caribbean and is home to Shoal Bay East, which Conde Nast Traveler among others have ranked as the "best beach in the world." Aside from the beauty along the shoreline the terrain is flat and the soil on the island is devoid of nutrients. The island was originally inhabited by the Arawaks, a native tribe who traveled around several of the local Caribbean islands to farm and fish. Anguilla was ultimately settled by the British who brought slaves to the island to farm. Upon arrival they realized that the land was too arid to farm, thus the idea of building plantations was abandoned. The settlers freed the slaves, gave them land and they all attempted to subsist off the arid land together as one group of people. Blacks and whites cooperated and interbred. The islanders then and now lack the characteristics of racial...

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