Montserrat

Basic Data

Montserrat, a Caribbean island southeast of Puerto Rico, is in the process of rebuilding after volcanic eruptions began in 1995 and culminated in a catastrophic eruption in 1997. The Soufriere Hills volcano destroyed the southern half of the island, wiping out the airport and seaport and prompting as much as two-thirds of the population to flee to neighboring islands. The capital, Plymouth, was evacuated and, after being blanketed by volcanic ash, remains abandoned. Reconstruction efforts began in 1998, and slowly residents are returning to the area of the island called the "Safe North." The population in 2001 was approximately 7,600 and growing. The official language is English, and the estimated literacy rate is 97 percent. Montserrat is a British dependency, and the chief of state is the British Monarch, who appoints a local Governor. Heading the government is a Chief Minister, who presides over a unicameral, 11-seat Legislative Council. Rice milling, electronic component assembly, and tourism were once the island's economic mainstays, but they were largely wiped out by the volcano. The economy is beginning to bounce back thanks to millions of dollars in British aid. Not surprisingly, one of the biggest economic growth areas is construction.

As a British dependency, Montserrat enjoys the same press freedoms. There is currently no daily newspaper. Before the volcanic crisis, the island boasted a number of weekly newspapers but currently only The Montserrat Reporter remains. Founded in 1985, the The Montserrat Reporter began as an instrument of the National Development Party but is considered politically independent today. It appears every Friday, and its circulation is approximately 750. It is available online.

There are three radio stations on the island, one AM and two FM, serving 7,000 radios. A single television station broadcasts to 3,000 televisions. There are 17 Internet service providers.

Bibliography

"Country Profile," Worldinformation.com (2002). Available from http://www.worldinformation.com.

e-Mail correspondence, Merrick Andrews, Montserrat Reporter journalist, merrickandrews@hotmail.com.

"Media," Media Courier (1999). Available from http://www.mediacourier.net.

"Montserrat," CIA World Fact Book (2001). Available from http://www.cia.gov.

The Montserrat Reporter, (2002.) Home Page. Available from http://www.montserratreporter.org/.

Jenny B. Davis

Montserrat

The island of Montserrat is a British territory located roughly 27 miles southwest of Antigua. In July of 1995, the Souffriere Hills Volcano on Montserrat became active, prompting widespread evacuation. Many schools were forced to serve as shelters for the island residents who did remain, and classes were not held for nearly six weeks.

The island had been spending roughly 20 percent of its budget on education until the volcanic disaster. In 1998, only 8 percent of the budget was allocated to education. That year, 2 of the 10 nursery schools and 1 of the 3 day care centers resumed operation. Nearly 24 percent of all children from birth to three years old were enrolled in day care schools, and more than 80 percent of all three- to five-year-olds were enrolled at preschools. One of the nine public primary schools and one of the two private schools also reopened. Primary school enrollment was nearly 100 percent.

Montserrat's educational system is based closely on the British model, and the primary language of instruction at all levels is English. Education is free and mandatory for children between the ages of 5 and 16. Primary education lasts for six years. Secondary education begins at age 11 and lasts for four years.

The Montserrat Technical College, founded in 1972 to offer technical and vocational education to secondary school graduates, had been considering upgrading its status to the level of a community college in the mid-1990s. In the wake of the volcanic activity, however, the institution was forced to cease operations in 1997. The island's other tertiary institution—the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies—was able to remain open mainly by focusing on distance education. In the late 1990s, officials continued to work toward reopening schools as islanders began to return to their homes.

Bibliography

Momsen, Janet D. Monserrat. Britannica.com, 26 May 2001. Available from http://www.briticannica.com/.

UNESCO. The EFA 2000 Assessment: Country Reports: Montserrat. World Education Forum, April 2000. Available from http://www2.unesco.org/.

—AnnaMarie L. Sheldon

Montserrat , British dependency and island (2005 est. pop. 9,000), 38 sq mi (98 sq km), West Indies, one of the Leeward Islands . It is a rugged, scenic island of volcanic origin; Chance's Peak (3,000 ft/915 m) in the Soufrière Hills volcanic complex in S Montserrat is the highest point. Plymouth was the capital and chief port, but it was destroyed in the volcanic eruptions that began in 1995, and subsequently an exclusion zone was established in the southern two thirds of the island. An interim capital was constructed at Brades Estate in N Montserrat. Of African and European ancestry, the English-speaking inhabitants are predominantly Christian. Prior to 1995, tourism was the economic mainstay, and Montserrat's exports included electronic components and agricultural products. As a result of the Soufrière Hills eruptions, however, the economy has been severely disrupted and is dependent on aid from Great Britain. Montserrat has a unicameral 11-seat Legislative Assembly consisting of nine members elected for five-year terms, plus the attorney general and the finance secretary. The premier serves as head of government. The monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the head of state and is represented by a governor. Administratively, Montserrat is divided into three parishes, but because of the eruption and exclusion zone, only one parish is now inhabited.

Montserrat was visited in 1493 by Columbus and colonized by the English and Irish in 1632. After changing hands several times between France and Britain, it was ceded to Great Britain in 1783. The island was a member of the former Leeward Islands colony and of the Federation of the West Indies. It has had internal self-government since 1960. In 1995 the Soufrière Hills Volcano, which had not erupted in historical times, began a series of devastating eruptions that destroyed most of S Montserrat, including the capital and the main port. The majority of the population was evacuated, more than half the island's land area was rendered uninhabitable, and residents were excluded from the southern portion of the island. Periodic hurricanes can cause extensive damage to the island.

Montserrat A Caribbean island which came under British sovereignty in 1632. Part of the colony of the Leeward Islands in 1871, it joined the short-lived Federation of the West Indies (1958–62), thereafter becoming a United Kingdom Overseas Dependency. It derives a major part of its income from the offshore financial sector, and a financial scandal in 1989 led to the revision of its Constitution in 1990. In addition to his supervision of defence, internal security, and external affairs, the British-appointed Governor took over the supervision of the financial sector. In return, the powers of the popularly elected Legislative Council were enhanced, and the island's right to self-determination acknowledged. In 1997 a volcano erupted on the island, destroying the capital, Plymouth, and much of the island's infrastructure. In response, over 50 per cent of the population were evacuated from the island.

Montserrat British overseas territory in the West Indies; a volcanic island in the Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles; the capital and chief port is Plymouth. An active volcano in the Soufrière Hills dominates the island. Christopher Columbus. made the first European discovery in 1493. The British colonized in 1632. It formed part of the Leeward Island colony from 1871 until 1956, when it became a separate, dependent territory of the UK. In 1997, increased volcanic activity prompted the British government to offer aid to the remaining islanders for rehousing in the n or relocation to neighbouring islands. Industries: tourism, light industry and construction, offshore finance, cotton. Area: 102sq km (40sq mi). Pop. (2000) 13,000. See West Indies map

Montserrat An island in the Caribbean, one of the Leeward Islands. Visited by Columbus in 1493 and named after a Benedictine monastery on the mountain of Montserrat in Spain, it was colonized by Irish settlers in 1632. It was part of the British federal colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871 to 1956 when it became a separate UK Dependent Territory. In addition to offshore finance, it is a base for the production of light consumer goods, electronic components, and goods made from locally grown cotton. It is governed by a Governor who presides over an Executive Council and a Legislative Council. Many of the islanders were evacuated in 1997 following a major volcanic eruption.

Montserrat is one of the Leeward Islands and a British colony. It was sighted by Columbus in 1493, disputed between France and Britain, and finally confirmed to Britain by the treaty of Versailles in 1783. It relies mainly upon tourism, cotton, and light industry, but was severely damaged by volcanic eruption in 1995.

J. A. Cannon

Montserrat is one of the Leeward Islands and a British colony. It was sighted by Columbus in 1493, disputed between France and Britain, and finally confirmed to Britain by the treaty of Versailles in 1783. It relies mainly upon tourism, cotton, and light industry, but was severely damaged by a volcanic eruption in 1995.

Montserrat ♀ (Spanish) Marian name from a Catalan title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Montserrat, referring to the Benedictine monastery on Mt Montserrat near Barcelona.

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