Anegada is the northernmost of the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

(BVI), a group of islands that form part of the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

of the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...

. It lies about north of

Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda () is the third-largest island (after Tortola and Anegada) and second-most populous of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Geography Located at about 18 degrees, 30 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area o ...

. Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed from

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, rather than of

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...

origin. While the other islands are mountainous, Anegada is flat and low. Its highest point is only about above sea level, earning it its name, which is from the Spanish for "flooded land", ''tierra anegada''. Additionally, Anegada is the only sliver of land directly south of

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, another British overseas territory. Anegada lies directly west of

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and east of all other islands in the

. At about 15 square miles (38 square kilometers), Anegada is the second-largest of the British Virgin Islands. With a population of 450 as of the 2024 census. Most of Anegada's residents live in the only village, The Settlement.

Economy

The primary business of Anegada is tourism. On a typical day during the tourist season, the island has 200 to 300 visitors. Commercial fishing is also a substantial business on Anegada, with local fishermen providing most of the fresh fish and lobster catch for the rest of the British Virgin Islands. Its miles of south shore flats have a large population of bonefish, making Anegada a popular destination for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

. From 2008 to 2013 Anegada was home to one of the tallest Christmas trees in the Caribbean and had an official tree lighting ceremony and party each year. The tree, donated by Adrian Johnson, was intended to help bring visitors to the island and provided a flotilla destination for many sailors.

Access

Access to the island is via the small Auguste George Airport (NGD), thrice-weekly

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

, and private boat. Charter flights run directly to Anegada from

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, St. Thomas,

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

, and St. Maarten.

Horseshoe Reef

Anegada is known for miles of white sand beaches and the -long Horseshoe Reef, one of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

's largest barrier

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

. The reef makes navigation to Anegada difficult. While charter boats freely sail among most of the other Virgin Islands, charter companies often forbid clients to sail to Anegada to avoid running aground on the reef. The reef has caused hundreds of shipwrecks, including HMS ''Astraea'' in 1808, the ''Donna Paula'' (1819), and the MS ''Rocus'' (1929).Better known as the "Bone Wreck" As such, it was once an important

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

destination. In an effort to protect the reef, the BVI government has made anchoring on Horseshoe Reef illegal.

Fauna

Anegada is also known for the large salt ponds that cover much of its west end. These ponds, which support unique fauna, were designated a

Ramsar Site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Caribbean flamingos lived in these ponds, but they were hunted for food and feathers throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries and disappeared by 1950. They have since been re-established. As of 2016, the flamingo flock numbers approximately 200. The birds are another tourist draw, but officials are trying to keep the number of visitors to the flamingo areas at a level that allows the birds to flourish.

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

has recognized the western salt ponds and south-eastern coastal mangroves as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA). Other rare or endangered animals include the Anegada rock iguana ('' Cyclura pinguis'') and several species of

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

Conch Conch ( , , ) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point on both ...

, Caribbean lobster ('' Metanephrops binghami''), and many species of fish can be found near Anegada, particularly in the deep waters off the North Drop, north of the island. The Ft. Worth Zoo now maintains an Anegada Rock "Headstart" facility in the Settlement. Newly hatched iguanas are caught in the wild, brought to the facility, and raised until they are large enough to defend themselves against the feral cats that are their only predator on Anegada. As of 2016, over 200 iguanas have been released from the Headstart program back into the wild. In addition, an annual Iguana Festival is held outside the Iguana Headstart Facility to celebrate the island's native species. The reef adjacent to the Settlement was once one of the Caribbean's more fertile conch grounds, but overfishing has wiped out its conch population. Visitors to the Settlement are greeted by the sight of mountains of empty conch shells on the shore. There are also populations of

feral A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s, cows, and

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

that live in all areas of the island.

Hurricanes

Anegadians traditionally endured hurricanes by tying their dories to the trunks of mangroves with rope and covering them with tarps. Today, given sufficient warning, a few leave the island for

until the storm passes. On 30 August 2010, the eye of Hurricane Earl passed north of Anegada at category 4, with winds in excess of . The close passage led to significant damage on the island, with major flooding on the south side from the

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

and breaking waves. The north side experienced no storm surge, and Horseshoe Reef protected it from breaking waves. 24 hours before the storm arrived, the forecast was for the storm to pass well to the north. By the time it was apparent that the hurricane was going to have a major impact, all transportation services from Anegada (air and ferry) had been suspended. There were no reported serious injuries on the island. On 6 September 2017, the eye of

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

passed south of Anegada at category 5, with winds in excess of . Irma's northern eyewall passed directly over Anegada, causing major damage to the island. Some people evacuated to

before the storm struck, but most people remained on the island. There was some flooding on the south side from the

and breaking waves. The north side experienced no storm surge, and Horseshoe Reef protected it from breaking waves. There were no reported serious injuries on the island.

Education

About 70 students attend school at the Claudia Creque Educational Centre, formerly Anegada Primary and Secondary School. This self-contained school is the only school on Anegada and handles pre-school, primary, and secondary levels. It is funded and operated by the British Virgin Islands government.

References

External links

* {{Authority control , additional=Q106116758 Ramsar sites in dependent territories of the United Kingdom Former English colonies Lighthouses in the British Virgin Islands Seabird colonies Important Bird Areas of the British Virgin Islands