Montserrat:
Geography

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Background	Definition 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.

Location	Definition Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates	Definition 16 45 N, 62 12 W
Map references	Definition Central America and the Caribbean
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	Definition 0 km
Coastline	Definition 40 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate	Definition tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Terrain	Definition volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
Natural resources	Definition NEGL
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition NA
Natural hazards	Definition severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Environment - current issues	Definition land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation
Geography - note	Definition the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

Montserrat: Geography

Montserrat:
Geography