Located 18 kilometres south of Alyangula on Groote Eylandt, Angurugu has historically been an important meeting place for Groote Eylandt clans and people coming from the mainland for ceremonies.
The township began as an Anglican Church Missionary Society station in 1943, as the RAAF needed to use the Emerald River Mission airstrip. By the 1950s almost all clans living on the west of the island had settled here.
Today the total population is approximately 855 (2016 Census), with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders representing 97% of the community. With a Median age of 25 years, 79% of the population speak Anindilyakwa, although Kriol is also prevalent. (2016 Census).
