An island of the British West Indies in the northern Leeward Islands. Inhabited by Arawaks when British settlers arrived in the 17th century, Anguilla was part of the self-governing colony of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla until 1967, when it seceded unilaterally. A bid for full independence led to the landing of British troops in 1969. Anguilla became a separate British dependency in 1980.