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| Scuba Montserrat Coral Reef |
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Resources Overview
This small island – an overseas territory of the UK – is mountainous and ../../includes considerable forest cover. Since 1995 however, the Soufriere Hills volcano has been active almost continuously, with major pyroclastic flows into the sea. Small scattered reefs and coral communities were originally described along much of the coastline, but it seems likely that they have been severely impacted by the massive inputs of sediment, and possibly chemical influences, associated with volcanic activity. Most of the island’s people have now been evacuated and the capital Plymouth was itself destroyed in 1997.
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Geography
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 islands, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland, severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1996) |
People
Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2002 est.) 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 1,001; female 986)
15-64 years: 65% (male 2,624; female 2,864)
65 years and over: 11.4% (male 508; female 454) (2002 est.) |
Economy
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 volcano 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 |
Profile
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History
Much of this island has been devastated and two-thirds of the population has fled abroad due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat) |
| Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, |
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