| Background: |
Much of this
island has been devastated and two-thirds of the population
has fled abroad due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills
volcano that began on 18 July 1995. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island
in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
16 45 N, 62 12 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
100 sq km
land: 100 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
about 0.6 times
the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; little
daily or seasonal temperature variation |
| Terrain: |
volcanic islands,
mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere
Hills) 914 m |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
20%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 40%
other: 30% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
severe hurricanes
(June to November); volcanic eruptions (full-scale eruptions
of the Soufriere Hills volcano occurred during 1996-97) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
land erosion
occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation |
| Population: |
7,574
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the
island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July
1995; some have returned (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
23.83% (male 907; female 898)
15-64 years: 64.66% (male 2,341; female 2,556)
65 years and over: 11.51% (male 464; female
408) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
13.39% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.43
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.53 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
123.98 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
8.19 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 78.03 years
male: 75.95 years
female: 80.22 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.82 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black, white |
| Religions: |
Anglican,
Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day
Adventist, other Christian denominations |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1970 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
| Dependency
status: |
overseas
territory of the UK |
| Capital: |
Plymouth
(abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim
government buildings have been built at Brades, in the
Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of
Montserrat) |
| Administrative
divisions: |
3 parishes; Saint
Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter's |
| Independence: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Birthday of Queen
ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
| Constitution: |
present
constitution came into force 19 December 1989 |
| Legal
system: |
English common
law and statutory law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Anthony John ABBOTT (since NA
September 1997)
head of government: Chief Minister David BRANDT
(since 22 August 1997)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the
governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the
attorney general, and the finance secretary
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief
minister; note - as a result of the last election, a
coalition party was formed between NPP, NDP, and one of the
independent candidates |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Legislative Council (11 seats, 7 popularly elected; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 November 1996 (next to
be held by NA November 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PPA 2, MNR 2, NPP 1, independent 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Eastern Caribbean
Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the
Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over
the High Court) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Movement for
National Reconstruction or MNR [Percival Austin BRAMBLE];
National Development Party or NDP [leader NA]; National
Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE]; People's
Progressive Alliance or PPA [John A. OSBORNE] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, WCL |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
| Flag
description: |
blue, with the
flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the
flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a
yellow harp with her arm around a black cross |
| Economy
- overview: |
Severe volcanic
activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this
small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997
closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic
and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants
fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of
housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued
to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and
the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend
largely on developments in relation to the volcano and on
public sector construction activity. The UK committed to a
three year $125 million aid program in 1999 to help
reconstruct the economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $31 million (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-1.5% (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $5,000 (1999 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
5.4%
industry: 13.6%
services: 81% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
5% (1998) |
| Labor
force: |
4,521 (1992);
note - recently lowered by flight of people from volcanic
activity |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%,
industry NA%, services NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
20% (1996 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, rum,
textiles, electronic appliances |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
10 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
9.3 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cabbages,
carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock
products |
| Exports: |
$1.5 million
(1998) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
electronic
components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live plants,
cattle |
| Exports
- partners: |
US, Antigua and
Barbuda (1993) |
| Imports: |
$26 million
(1998) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods,
fuels, lubricants, and related materials |
| Imports
- partners: |
US, UK, Trinidad
and Tobago, Japan, Canada (1993) |
| Debt
- external: |
$8.9 million
(1997) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$9.8 million
(1995); note - about $100 million (1996-98) in
reconstruction aid from the UK; Country Policy Plan (1999)
is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in
British budgetary assistance |
| Currency: |
East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
4,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
70 (1994) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: NA |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 2,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
3,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.ms |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
17 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
269 km
paved: 203 km
unpaved: 66 km (1995) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Plymouth
(abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing),
Carr's Bay |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Police Force |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for South American narcotics destined for the US and
Europe |
|
