Montserrat Geography - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates

16 45 N, 62 12 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 102 sq km

land: 102 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

40 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain

volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Elevation

highest point: Soufriere Hills volcano pre-eruption height was 915 m; current lava dome is subject to periodic build up and collapse; estimated dome height was 1,050 m in 2015

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

NEGL

Land use

agricultural land: 30% (2018 est.)

arable land: 20% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10% (2018 est.)

forest: 25% (2018 est.)

other: 45% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Population distribution

only the northern half of the island is populated, the southern portion is uninhabitable due to volcanic activity

Natural hazards

volcanic eruptions; severe hurricanes (June to November)

volcanism: Soufriere Hills volcano (915 m), has erupted continuously since 1995; a massive eruption in 1997 destroyed most of the capital, Plymouth, and resulted in approximately half of the island becoming uninhabitable; the island of Montserrat is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

Geography - note

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

NOTE: The information regarding Montserrat on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Montserrat 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Montserrat 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.