Montserrat: Background & Geography

Introduction Montserrat
Background:
 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.
Geography Montserrat
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: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 102 sq km
Area - comparative:
 about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
 0 km
Coastline:
 40 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 3 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
Climate:
 tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
 volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) 914 m
Natural resources:
 negligible
Land use:
 arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 NA sq km
Natural hazards:
 severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Environment - current issues:
 land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
Geography - note:
 the island is entirely volcanic in origin and contains seven active volcanoes

See Also: