Caribbean island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico. Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650. Administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century when, against the wishes of the inhabitants, the island was incorporated into a single British dependency with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was allowed to secede; the arrangement was formally recognized in 1980. British dependency. The population is almost entirely Christian with about 6% Roman Catholic. Ecclesiastically the island is governed by the Diocese of Saint John's-Basseterre, Virgin Islands. See also,