Montserrat
NAIndependence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Montserrat as the 2015 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 132 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid-19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.
Geography
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
17 fieldsElevation extremes
- lowest point:
- Caribbean Sea 0 m
- highest point:
- Soufriere Hills volcano pre-eruption height was 915 m;
- current lava dome is subject to periodic build up and collapse;
- estimated dome height was 1050 m in 2013
Land use
- agricultural land:
- 30%;
- arable land 20%;
- permanent crops 0%;
- permanent pasture 10%
- forest:
- 25%
- other:
- 45% (2011 est.)
Natural hazards
volcanic eruptions; severe hurricanes (June to November)
- volcanism:
- Soufriere Hills volcano (elev. 915 m), has erupted continuously since 1995;
- a massive eruption in 1997 destroyed most of the capital, Plymouth, and resulted in approximately half of the island becoming uninhabitable
Geography - note
the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
People and Society
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2015 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2015 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2011 est.)
Religions(2001 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.92 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.8 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.6 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Government
NA; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Premier Donaldson ROMERO (since 12 September 2014)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislative Council, 9 seats, elected 11 September 2014one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Capital
- name:
- Plymouth;
- note - Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity;
- interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat
- geographic coordinates:
- 16 42 N, 62 13 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Elizabeth CARRIERE (since 5 August 2015)
- head of government:
- Premier Donaldson ROMERO (since 12 September 2014);
- note - effective with the new Constitution Order of October 2010, the office of premier replaced the office of chief minister
- cabinet:
- Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary
- elections/appointments:
- the monarchy is hereditary;
- governor appointed by the monarch;
- following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes premier
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats; 9 members directly elected in a single constituency by absolute majority vote in two rounds to serve 5-year terms and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and financial secretary)
- elections:
- last held on 11 September 2014 (next to be held by 2019)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - PDM 50.1%, MCAP 35.3%; seats by party - PDM 7, MCAP 2
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include Montserrat;
- the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges;
- sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the 9 member states;
- 1 judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of Montserrat and presides over the High Court;
- note - Montserrat is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice
- judge selection and term of office:
- Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II;
- other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission;
- Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65;
- High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
- subordinate courts:
- magistrate's court
Political parties and leaders
Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Reuben MEADE]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Shirley OSBORNE]
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 arms feature a woman in green dress, Erin, the female personification of Ireland, standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large dark cross with her right arm;
- Erin and the harp are symbols of Ireland reflecting the territory's Irish ancestry;
- blue represents awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness
National anthem
note: as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)
Economy
Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy.
29 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2014 est.)
By end use% of GDP
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 airport 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 volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. Half of the island remains uninhabitable.
In January 2013, the EU announced the disbursement of a $55.2 million aid package to Montserrat in order to boost the country's economic recovery, with a specific focus on public finance management, public sector reform, and prudent economic management.
Central bank discount rate
10.99% (31 December 2010) · 6.5% (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 17
Commercial bank prime lending rate
8.02% (31 December 2014 est.) · 8% (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Stock of narrow money
$16.69 million (31 December 2014 est.) · $19.86 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 192
Stock of broad money
$88.59 million (31 December 2014 est.) · $79.75 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 193
Stock of domestic credit
$5.185 million (31 December 2014 est.) · $3.704 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 185
Exports - commodities
- electronic components, plastic bags, apparel;
- hot peppers, limes, live plants;
- cattle
Imports - commodities
machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$32.08 million (31 December 2012 est.) · $40.51 million (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2014 est.) · 2.7 (2013 est.) · 2.7 (2012 est.) · 2.7 (2011 est.) · 2.7 (2010 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 10,000 kW(2012 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
88,010 Mt (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 207
Communications
8 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2009–14 est.)
Telephone system
- general assessment:
- modern and fully digitalized
- domestic:
- combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 1-664; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad (2011)
Broadcast media
- Radio Montserrat, a public radio broadcaster, transmits on 1 station and has a repeater transmission to a second station;
- repeater transmissions from the GEM Radio Network of Trinidad and Tobago provide another 2 radio stations;
- cable and satellite TV available (2007)
Transportation
4 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Roadways
note: volcanic eruptions that began in 1995 destroyed most of the 227 km road system; a new road infrastructure has been built on the north end of the island (2008)
Military
No regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2011)
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Montserrat.” The World Factbook 2015. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/montserrat/2015.