Transaction in Own Shares

Anglo American PLC
21 May 2007



                       Anglo American plc (the "Company")
                  Purchases of Ordinary Shares in the Company

The buyback programme of US$3 billion announced in the annual results press
release of 21 February 2007 commenced on 1 May 2007. The Company announces that
on 18 May 2007, an independent company purchased 348,386 ordinary shares of the
Company at prices between £27.85 and £28.87 per share. This purchase was made by
an independent company to be funded by a wholly owned overseas subsidiary of the
Company, which wholly owned subsidiary will have the right to nominate a
transferee for such shares, and otherwise in accordance with arrangements
substantially the same as those announced by the Company on 23 March 2006.

Anglo American plc currently holds 63,145,830 ordinary shares in treasury, and
has 1,478,511,920 ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) and the
independent companies referred to above and in the announcement of 23 March 2006
together hold 74,052,767 ordinary shares, representing 5.00 per cent of Anglo
American plc's ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).

Catherine Marshall
Companies Secretary
Anglo American plc
21 May 2007





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