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.

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

about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)

land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

12.36 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

8.44 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

1.23 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations

overseas territory of the UK

3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

effective 19 December 1989

English common law and statutory law

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats; 9 members popularly elected to serve five-year terms); note - expanded in 2001 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members

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)

Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]

Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU, WFTU

none (overseas territory of the UK)

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

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 volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.

$29 million (2002 est.)

6.5% (31 December 2008)

6.5% (31 December 2007)

9.89% (31 December 2008)

10.4% (31 December 2007)

$16.71 million (31 December 2008)

$17.9 million (31 December 2007)

$45.42 million (31 December 2008)

$43.9 million (31 December 2007)

$9.93 million (31 December 2008)

$5.537 million (31 December 2007)

cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products

tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

22 million kWh (2007 est.)

20.46 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

1,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

521 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle

machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

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 are obtainable (2007)

Little Bay, Plymouth

no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2010)

defense is the responsibility of the UK

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe