Geography of Montserrat

Montserrat
Nickname: The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean
Map of Montserrat

Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Coordinates	16°45′N 62°12′W / 16.750°N 62.200°W / 16.750; -62.200
Archipelago	Leeward Islands
Area	102 km² (39 sq mi)
Coastline	40 km (25 mi)
Highest elevation	914.2 m (2,999.3 ft)
Highest point	Chances Peak (in the Soufrière Hills)
Administration
United Kingdom
British Overseas Territory	Montserrat
Largest settlement	Brades (pop. 1,000)
Demographics
Population	4,488
Pop. density	44.88 /km² (116.24 /sq mi)

Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean Sea, in the Leeward Islands. Its nearest neighbours in the island chain include Guadeloupe to the south-east, Antigua to the north-east and Nevis to the north-west. The island is 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide, with a coastline of about 40 km.

The island is volcanic and largely mountainous. The Soufrière Hills volcano became active in 1995, causing widespread devastation, including the destruction of the capital and formerly largest settlement on the island, Plymouth. The southern part of the island is now uninhabitable and human settlement is constrained to the north.

Montserrat has two islets, Little Redonda and Virgin, as well as Statue Rock.

Climate

Montserrat has a tropical climate, with little daily or seasonal temperature variation.

Statistics

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about 500 km south-east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 16°45′N 62°12′W / 16.750°N 62.200°W / 16.750; -62.200

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 102 km²
land: 102 km²
water: 0 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nmi (5.556 km; 3.452 mi)
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)

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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Prior to 1995, the highest point was Chances Peak (in the Soufrière Hills) at 915m. Ongoing volcanic activity has created a lava dome estimated at 1050m in 2013.^[1]

Natural resources: Negligible

Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (2011)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Natural hazards: severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions

Environment - current issues: Land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation.

References

↑ "The CIA World Factbook - Montserrat". Retrieved 2015-07-11.

Sources

CIA World Factbook

Geography of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Navassa Island Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

Climate of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

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