The Settlement (BVI)
Encyclopedia
Anegada
Anegada is the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It lies approximately north of Virgin Gorda. Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed from coral and limestone, rather than being of volcanic...
in the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
The Town
The Settlement lies near Lower Bay at the southwestern part of the island and has about 200 inhabitants. The coordinates are 18°43′07"N 64°19′01"WThe center of this very small town, often also called "the Village", consists of the area along the main road.
Besides the Government Administration Building, a small medical clinic, a post office, a police building and a library there also are a few restaurants, the "Ocean Range Hotel", a bakery "Dotsy's Bakery" and a few small stores (1).
On the outskirts you can find "The Walls", a farming area circled by old stone walls. The enclosed fields were used to grow banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es and other crops
Crop (agriculture)
A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
(2).
There is also the "Iguana Headstart Facility", a breeding farm for iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
s, mainly the Anegada Ground Iguana (or Anegada rock iguana
Cyclura pinguis
The Stout Iguana or Anegada Ground Iguana is a critically endangered species of lizard of the genus Cyclura belonging to the Iguanidae family. The species can be found exclusively in the island of Anegada...
, "Cyclura pinguis"). The farm is managed by the BVI National Parks Trust and the iguanas are released when they are large enough to survive in the wild (3).
The towns harbor is at Setting Point which is a popular place for sailboats, the harbor has connections with Road Town
Road Town
-See also:* Government House, the official residence of the Governor of the British Virgin Islands located in Road Town-External links:*****...
on Tortola
Tortola
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...
thrice-weekly by ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
.
The town's and the island's airport, the small Auguste George Airport
Auguste George Airport
Auguste George Airport is the northern most airport in the British Virgin Islands and is located on the island of Anegada. The airport is named for Captain Auguste George....
(airport code
Airport code
An airport code is a short code used to identify a specific airport. There are two international systems used:*IATA airport code, a three-letter code which is more commonly known to the public...
"NGD") is about 1 mile northwest of the town.
History
In 1672 Anegada was made part of the British colony AntiguaAntigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
and has been under British control ever since.
The "The Zoological Society of San Diego" has been running the "Anegada Iguana Project" since 1992 with the Headstart Facility being opened in 2003 (4).
Today tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is the main income source for the town even though commercial fishing also is a substantial business.
