Statistical information Montserrat 2019

Montserrat in the World

Montserrat - Introduction 2019

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Background: 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.

Montserrat - Geography 2019

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Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 62 12 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 102 km²
Land: 102 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 226
Comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200
Note: nm

Climate: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

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

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 30% (2011 est.)

arable land: 20% (2011 est.)
permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.)
permanent pasture: 10% (2011 est.)

Forest: 25% (2011 est.)
Other: 45% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

Montserrat - People 2019

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Population
Distribution: only the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity: 5,315 (July 2018 est.)
Note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned
Rank: 228
Growth rate: 0.43% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 159

Nationality
Noun: Montserratian(s)
Adjective: Montserratian

Ethnic groups: African/black 88.4%, mixed 3.7%, hispanic/Spanish 3%, caucasian/white 2.7%, East Indian/Indian 1.5%, other 0.7% (2011 est.)

Languages: English

Religions: Protestant 67.1% (includes Anglican 21.8%, Methodist 17%, Pentecostal 14.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 10.5%, and Church of God 3.7%), Roman Catholic 11.6%, Rastafarian 1.4%, other 6.5%, none 2.6%, unspecified 10.8% (2001 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.99%
0-14 note: (male 436 /female 414)
15-24 years: 21.39%
15-24 note: (male 588 /female 549)
25-54 years: 47.58%
25-54 note: (male 1224 /female 1305)
55-64 years: 8.81%
55-64 note: (male 214 /female 254)
65 years and over: 6.23%
65 and over note: (male 191 /female 140) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 33.8 years (2018 est.)
Male: 33.1 years
Female: 34.4 years
Rank: 90

Population growth rate: 0.43% (2018 est.)
Rank: 159

Birth rate: 10.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 186

Death rate: 6.2 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 158

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 93

Population distribution: only the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity

Urbanization
Urban population: 9.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.64% annual rate of change

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation

Air pollutants

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.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 9.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.5 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 116

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.8 years (2018 est.)
Male: 76.1 years
Female: 73.5 years
Rank: 121

Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 216

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99% of population
Improved rural: 99% of population
Improved total: 99% of population
Unimproved urban: 1% of population
Unimproved rural: 1% of population
Unimproved total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 17.1% of population (2007 est.)
Rural: 17.1% of population (2007 est.)
Total: 17.1% of population (2007 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 59

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Montserrat - Government 2019

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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

Government type: parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK

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 Carrs 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

Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

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)

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see United Kingdom

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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
Electionsappointments: 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: magistrates court

Political parties and leaders: Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Easton Taylor FARRELL]People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Donaldson ROMERO]

International organization participation: Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas territory of the UK)
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 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 symbols

National anthem
Note: as a territory of the UK, 'God Save the Queen' is official (see United Kingdom)

National heritage

Montserrat - Economy 2019

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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$167.4 million (2011 est.)
$155.9 million (2010 est.)
$162.7 million (2009 est.)

Rank: 223

Real gdp growth rate:

7.4% (2011 est.)
-4.2% (2010 est.)

Rank: 15

Real gdp per capita:

$34,000 (2011 est.)
$31,100 (2010 est.)
$32,300 (2009 est.)

Rank: 60

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin