Montserrat
parliamentary democracyIndependence none (overseas territory of the UK)
Montserrat as the 2019 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 134 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 2013.
Geography
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
18 fieldsLand useshare of 102 sq km
Elevation
- 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 1,050 m in 2015
Population distribution
only the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity
Natural hazards
- volcanic eruptions;
- severe hurricanes (June to November) volcanism: Soufriere Hills volcano (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;
- the island of Montserrat is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south
Geography - note
the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
People and Society
23 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2018 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2011 est.)
Religions(2001 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 15.99% (male 436 /female 414)
- 15-24 years:
- 21.39% (male 588 /female 549)
- 25-54 years:
- 47.58% (male 1,224 /female 1,305)
- 55-64 years:
- 8.81% (male 214 /female 254)
- 65 years and over:
- 6.23% (male 191 /female 140) (2018 est.)
Population distribution
only the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.07 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.94 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.36 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1 male(s)/female (2018 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
- male:
- 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 14.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Government
Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Premier Donaldson ROMERO (since 12 September 2014)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislative Assembly, 9 seats, elected 11 September 2014one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Composition: men 7, women 2, percent of women 22.2%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Montserrat
- etymology:
- island named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain
Capital
- name:
- Plymouth;
- note - Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity;
- interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, the de facto capital, 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)
- etymology and note:
- now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was originally named after Plymouth, England;
- de jure, Plymouth remains the capital city of Montserrat;
- it is therefore the only ghost town that serves as the capital of a political entity
National holiday
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, usually celebrated the Monday after the second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution
- history:
- previous 1960; latest effective 1 September 2010 (The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010)
- amendments:
- amended 2011 (2018)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew PEARCE (since 1 February 2018)
- head of government:
- Premier Donaldson ROMERO (since 12 September 2014);
- note - effective with The Constitution Order 2010, effective 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 Assembly (11 seats; 9 members directly elected in a single constituency by absolute majority vote in 2 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 scheduled for 30 September 2019)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - PDM 50.0%, MCAP 35.4%, other 14.6%;
- seats by party - PDM 7, MCAP 2;
- composition - men 7, women 2, percent of women 22.2%
Judicial branch
- highest courts:
- the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
- the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges;
- the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts;
- High Court judges reside in the member states, with 1 assigned to Montserrat;
- Montserrat is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice
- judge selection and term of office:
- chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II;
- other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials;
- 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 [Easton Taylor FARRELL]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Donaldson ROMERO]
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 UK, "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.
33 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 est.)
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. Montserrat is tied to the EU through the UK. Although the UK is leaving the EU, Montserrat’s aid will not be affected as Montserrat maintains a direct agreement with the EU regarding aid.
Stock of narrow money
$28.33 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $23.04 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
$5.185 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $1.481 million (31 December 2016 est.)
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
$47.58 million (31 December 2017 est.) · $51.47 million (31 December 2015 est.)
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2017 est.) · 2.7 (2016 est.) · 2.7 (2015 est.) · 2.7 (2014 est.) · 2.7 (2013 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 5,000 kW(2016 est.)
Communications
6 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(July 2016 est.)
Telephone system
- general assessment:
- modern and fully digitalized;
- high dependency on tourism and offshore financial services;
- operators expand FttP (Fiber to Home) services;
- LTE launches and operators invest in mobile networks (2018)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 57 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity 95 per 100 persons (2018)
- international:
- country code - 1-664; landing point for the ECFS optic submarine cable with links to 14 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad (2019)
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)
Military and Security
No regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Defence Force (ceremonial, civil defense duties), Montserrat Police Force (2019)
2 fieldsMilitary and security forces
no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Defence Force (ceremonial, civil defense duties), Montserrat Police Force (2019)
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
National air transport system
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3 (2015)
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
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Montserrat.” The World Factbook 2019. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/montserrat/2019.