Montserrat

Facts at a glance:

Capital: Plymouth; Brades (Interim Capital)

Form of Government: British Crown Colony

Chief of State: British Monarch: King Charles III represented by Governor Sarah Tucker

Head of Government: Premier Easton Taylor-Farrell

Location: 17°N; 62°W - 40 km (25 miles) south-west of Antigua

Area: 102 sq. km (39.5 sq. mi) one of the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antilles.

Population: 4,375 (2024 est.)

Ethnic Make-Up: Mainly of African descent, with some European and East Indian ancestry.

Adult Literacy: 97%

Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD)

Exchange rate: U.S. $1.00 = XCD$ 2.70

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time +1; GMT -4

Phone Code: Regional code (664) plus 491 and the 4-digit local number

History: Christopher Columbus landed in Montserrat in 1493 but it was first colonised by Anglo-Irish settlers in 1632, displacing the existing Arawak Indian settlements. In 1956 Montserrat, along with Antigua, St Kitts & Nevis and Anguilla, were combined as one colony known as the Leeward Islands and in 1958 the islands were incorporated into the Federation of the West Indies. In 1967 Montserrat elected to remain a British colony rather than become one of the West Indies Associated States.

UWI Connections: The UWI Open Campus – Montserrat