Guernsey (2003) | Montserrat (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew | 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.8% (male 5,216; female 5,061)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 21,433; female 21,835) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 4,705; female 6,568) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 23.5% (male 1,144/female 1,094)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,989/female 3,281) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 527/female 503) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle | cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products |
Airports | 2 (2002) | 2 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Area | total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about one-half the size of Washington, DC | about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | 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. |
Birth rate | 9.43 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 17.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.) |
Capital | Saint Peter Port | name: Plymouth
geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of 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 |
Climate | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast | tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 50 km | 40 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | effective 19 December 1989 |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound | - |
Death rate | 9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $8.9 million (1997) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) |
Economy - overview | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates. | 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 volcanic activity 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. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 18.6 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 20 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
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) |
Environment - current issues | NA | land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation |
Ethnic groups | UK and Norman-French descent | black, white |
Exchange rates | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff de Vic Graham CAREY (since NA 1999) cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July 2007)
head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister |
Exports | $NA | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables | electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle |
Exports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 23.1% services: 75.7% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.7% (1999 est.) | -1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 28 N, 2 35 W | 16 45 N, 62 12 W |
Geography - note | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port | the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | $NA | 458 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment | machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials |
Imports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking | tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.99% (2000 est.) | 2.6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | none | Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | Royal Court | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) |
Labor force | 31,322 (2000) | 4,521
note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005) |
Languages | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | English |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | English common law and statutory law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 people's deputies elected by popular vote, 2 representatives from Alderney, Her Majesty's Procureur (Attorney General), Her Majesty's Comptroller (Solicitor General) and Her Majesty's Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.04 years
male: 77.04 years female: 83.14 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 79 years
male: 76.8 years female: 81.31 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian |
Natural hazards | NA | severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) |
Natural resources | cropland | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 3.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 64,818 (July 2003 est.) | 9,538
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.34% (2003 est.) | 1.048% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | 5 km | - |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist | Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.046 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.048 male(s)/female total population: 0.955 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
general assessment: modern and fully digitalized
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad |
Telephones - main lines in use | 44,000 (1996) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,000 (1997) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly level with low hills in southwest | volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland |
Total fertility rate | 1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.5% (1999 est.) | 6% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |