Transaction in Own Shares

Anglo American PLC
12 December 2006



                       Anglo American plc (the "Company")

                  Purchases of Ordinary Shares in the Company

Following the increase in the buyback programme of US$4 billion referred to in
the interim results announcement of Friday 4 August 2006, the Company announces
that on 11 December 2006 an independent company purchased 525,000 ordinary
shares of the Company at prices between £24.07 and £24.34 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.

In addition to the above, and pursuant to the authority granted by shareholders
at the Annual General Meeting held on 25 April 2006, Anglo American plc
purchased 570,000 of its ordinary shares on 11 December 2006 at prices between
£24.20 and £24.44 per share. The purchased shares will all be held as treasury
shares.

Anglo American plc currently holds 44,028,219 ordinary shares in treasury, and
has 1,497,625,388 ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) and the
independent companies referred to above and in the announcement of 23 March 2006
together hold 42,751,273 ordinary shares, representing 2.85 per cent of Anglo
American plc's ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares).

Catherine Marshall
Company Secretarial Assistant
Anglo American plc
12 December 2006





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