Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) - Montserrat (2008)

Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) z Montserrat (2008)

	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)	Montserrat (2008)

Administrative divisions	-	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter
Age structure	-	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	-	cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products
Airports	-	2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands	total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Rhode Island	about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.	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	-	17.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)
Capital	-	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	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow	tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	NA km	40 km
Constitution	-	effective 19 December 1989
Country name	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat
Death rate	-	7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	-	$8.9 million (1997)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II	overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)
Economy - overview	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.	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	-	18.6 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	-	20 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 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	-	black, white
Exchange rates	-	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); 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	-	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	-	electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle
Exports - partners	-	US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)	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 - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1.2% industry: 23.1% services: 75.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	-1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 30 S, 37 00 W	16 45 N, 62 12 W
Geography - note	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia	the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	-	458 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials
Imports - partners	-	US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances
Infant mortality rate	-	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)	-	2.6% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	-	Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA
Judicial branch	-	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	-	4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005)
Languages	-	English
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court	English common law and statutory law
Legislative branch	-	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: 79 years male: 76.8 years female: 81.31 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.)
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Antarctic Region	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
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	-	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality	-	noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian
Natural hazards	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)
Natural resources	fish	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	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	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited	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%
Population growth rate	-	1.048% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	0 (2003)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	-	Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Sex ratio	-	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
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken	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	-	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	NA
Television broadcast stations	0 (2003)	1 (1997)
Terrain	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes	volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland
Total fertility rate	-	1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	6% (1998 est.)

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