Maps of Turkey, Germany, Italy, Greece and other countries. Montserrat, the abandoned country The troubled history of Montserrat

Island on the N. arch. Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. Discovered in 1493 by Columbus and named Montserrat in honor of the Catholic monastery of Montserrat, located on the mountain of the same name in Spain. Name from Spanish Monto Sagrado sacred mountain.… … Geographical encyclopedia

MONTSERRAT- British possession on the island of the same name, part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. The territory area is 102 km2. The population (estimated for 1998) is 12,828 people, including over 1.3 thousand foreigners, average density... ... Cities and countries

MONTSERRAT- (Montserrat) General information Official name Montserrat. An overseas territory of Great Britain on the island of the same name in the West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles group. The total area is 102 km2, the population is 4.5 thousand people. (2001).… … Encyclopedia of countries of the world

Montserrat- island in the north of the arch. Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. Discovered in 1493 by Columbus and named Montserrat in honor of the Catholic monastery of Montserrat, located on the mountain of the same name in Spain. Name from Spanish Monto sagrado sacred mountain... Toponymic dictionary

Montserrat- (Montserrat), a British possession on the island of the same name in the West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles group. Area 101 km2. Population 12.2 thousand people (1978). The dominant religions are Protestant and Catholic. Official language … … Encyclopedic reference book "Latin America"

Montserrat, o.- (Montserrat) Montserrat, an island in the West Indies, one of the Windward Islands; pl. 102 sq. km, 12,000 people (1988, evaluation); official language English; Ch. city Plymouth. Visited by Columbus in 1493. and was named after the Benedictine... ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

- (Montserrat) an island in the West Indies, part of the Lesser Antilles; possession of Great Britain. Area 98 km2. Population 12 thousand people. (1971). Administrative center Plymouth. The main occupation of the population is the cultivation of cotton, bananas... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Montserrat) is in the West Indies, a possession of Great Britain. The first Antigua stamps with the name overprinted. o va issue. in 1876. In 1880 ed. stamps with a portrait of the Queen and the title. colonies, 1917 19 military tax stamps, 1932 first commemorative stamps,... ... Large philatelic dictionary

Montserrat- 1st female name, the name is Montserrat 2nd human island in the Antillean archipelasis... Spelling dictionary of Ukrainian language

Montserrat- (Montserrat)Montserrat, mountain, in Catalonia, N.E. Spain, N.W. from Barcelona, on which stands a famous Benedictine monastery, founded in the 2nd century. It is believed that the image of the Virgin Mary located in it was carved by St. Luke and brought... Countries of the world. Dictionary

Books

Montserrat Caballe. Casta diva, Robert Pullen, Stephen Taylor. The monograph by American authors about the world-famous Spanish diva attracts with its thoroughness, thoroughness in presenting the material, scrupulousness in collecting all kinds of...
Montserrat Catharsis of the Victim, Hellwald A., Khmelnitskaya T.. To cope with recently experienced stress, Montserrat Edelstahl, on the advice of a psychologist, goes to a resort in Indian Ocean. A wonderful atmosphere, imbued with romance, and next to...

Montserrat - General information

Officially recognized name- Montserrat.

Location– the state of Montserrat is located in the Caribbean among the Lesser Antilles group of islands. It occupies the volcanic island of Montserrat of the same name, which is called the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” because... The first Europeans on this island were settlers from Ireland. This historical feature is reflected in the state emblem - a red-haired girl in green robes with a Celtic harp in her hands.

Territory– 102 square kilometers (240th place in the world).

Population- approximately 6,046 people (232nd place in the world).

Ethnic composition The population, according to approximate data, is represented by black Montserratians, while the rest - about 3% of the population - are the ancestors of the first settlers from Germany, England and Ireland.

Religion- most of the population are adherents of Protestantism and its directions (Anglicanism, Methodism, Adventism). The rest of the island's inhabitants are Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Capital– Plymouth (remains the legal capital of Montserrat, but the city itself is abandoned after a volcanic eruption), the government is now located in the city of Brades.

Largest cities– Plymouth, Brades, Woodlands, Heralds, Bethel.

Official language- English. The literacy rate of the population is 97%.

Administrative division– the territory of Montserrat is divided into three parishes (St. Anthony, St. Georges, St. Peter), the last two were completely abandoned by local residents after the volcanic eruption. On this moment Only St. Anthony's is an inhabited parish.

Form of government– Constitutional monarchy (Overseas Territory of Great Britain).

The person in charge is Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and the direct authority on the island is represented by Governor Adrian Davis.

Tiny State Montserrat, occupying an area of just over 100 square meters. km, is located on the island of the same name, which is part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and has the status of an overseas territory Great Britain.

These lands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named after a Benedictine monastery located in the mountainous regions of Catalonia. During the 17th-18th centuries, England and France actively competed for possession of the island, and in the end it went to the British. Thanks to Birmingham philanthropist Joseph Sturge, in 1869, the Montserrat Company was founded here, which bought sugar cane plantations and planted lime trees on the fertile lands of the island, after which large-scale production of lime juice began, which allowed british colony significantly improve your economic situation. At the beginning of the 20th century, houses began to be actively built in Montserrat, municipal and educational institutions. In a fairly short period of time, the overseas territory of Great Britain has become a well-organized independent Island state with an excellent agricultural system and developed tourism infrastructure, governed by a governor and having an Executive and Legislative Council.

The main natural attraction of Montserrat is the majestic volcanic Soufriere Hills complex, located in the southern part of the island. Its height is 915 meters, and it consists mainly of andesite rock. The crater of the volcano has a diameter of 1 km, and its top has several volcanic domes. From this ancient nature education depends on all life on the island, which in recent years has been greatly affected by the eruption of Soufriere Hills, which occurred on June 25, 1997, when 19 people were buried under fiery lava. At the same time, the city of Plymouth was completely destroyed, until that moment it had served as the capital of the country of Montserrat and the only one in the country international Airport. The first eruption occurred in August 1995, but unlike the events that occurred two years later, at that moment the island’s authorities managed to prevent the consequences of the disaster in advance by evacuating local population. After some time, people returned to their homes, but only to leave them again after 1 year and 10 months. Now Plymouth, which was previously home to more than 4,000 people, fully corresponds to the status of a ghost town, completely covered with gray ash and permeated with the atmosphere of the tragedy that occurred here. After the 1997 eruption, the island's population decreased by two-thirds, and the role of the capital is now temporarily filled by the village of Brades.

On July 28, 2008, a strong eruption occurred again in the southern part of Montserrat, again reaching the territory of Plymouth. At the moment, this region of the island is under strict protection and supervision of specialists. Civilians are prohibited from entering there under threat of a large fine and administrative liability. All civilized objects and several thousand local residents, are located in the northern part of the island in the area of the actual capital Brades, away from Soufriere Hills. According to researchers, life in the south of Montserrat will resume no earlier than in 10 years, but for now those indigenous islanders who left these places at the end of the last century are beginning to gradually return to their homeland, engaging in agricultural cultivation, cattle breeding and fishing. The main fruit and vegetable crops are still sugar cane, cotton, bananas, avocados, coconuts, and mangoes. Over the past 10 years, the island's tourism infrastructure has also begun to recover. However, mainly financial support comes only from the UK, so the pace of recovery cannot be called rapid. However, by the mid-2000s the country began to take on its former appearance. The airport has been restored, air connections with some countries have been established, and new modern and comfortable hotels have been built on the coast, dotted with bright evergreen palm trees and snow-white fine sand.

All tourist infrastructure is also located in the northern part of the island. The most picturesque place is considered to be the coast of the bay. Carrs Bay, which houses a historical reserve with the ruins of a 17th-century fort, ancient cannons, a war memorial and an elegant clock tower. Near the town of Brades there is a real football field that meets FIFA requirements and where the Montserrat football team regularly plays, which has been fighting for the right to play in the World Cup for many years now, with great desire, but so far unsuccessfully. Rich undersea world attracts divers here, the soft warm sand promotes a pleasant time on the beach, and connoisseurs of culinary delights have the opportunity to taste the local cuisine, replete with dishes traditional to Great Britain and the Mediterranean countries. You can move around the island by regular buses and taxis, and those who want to enjoy sea walks can rent a boat or any other floating vehicle.

These lands were discovered by Christopher Columbus during his second campaign. History Montserrat believes that the first settlers The islands were Caribs, they called it Samna Maria de Montserrat. Global exploration began in 1632, when people began to grow tobacco, cotton and sugar cane.

Montserrat's troubled history

The island was constantly subject to raids by neighboring states; most of all, France and England wanted to take possession of it. But ultimately, this is evidenced by the official history of Montserrat, the land remained in British possession. So Montserrat culture has absorbed the traditions and customs of many peoples.

Capital Montserrat

The center of the state until 1997 was the city of Plymouth. After activation, Soufriere was completely destroyed. The most popular tourist port with an Indian flavor has gone into oblivion. Abandoned streets and constantly settling volcanic smog have turned it into a copy of the famous Pompeii. Today the capital Montserrat- Brades town.

Population of Montserrat

The majority, about 8 thousand people, are mulattoes and blacks. The majority of those living on the island, until 1990, moved to Canada and England. Away from the then active Soufriere volcano. The main blow of the disaster fell on the southern part of the island. Nowadays, restoration work is being carried out on this territory using the state’s own resources.

State of Montserrat

The island has a peculiar designation of its status - it is an Overseas Territory of Britain, which has its own sovereignty, but the residents have British citizenship. The head of state is appointed by the monarch, democratic story The country begins in 1960 at the time of signing its own constitution.

Politics of Montserrat

The constitutional system of the country looks like this: The judicial power and all law-making power belongs to the executive council, which is elected for five years.

Language of Montserrat

The local dialect uses a wide variety of loanwords from Amerindian, Spanish and French. Official - English.

© aglife.ru

Since 1995, the volcano has been erupting intermittently, but people have somehow learned to live next to it (though 2/3 of the country has banned economic activity). There is a volcano observatory on the island Montserrat Volcano Observatory(MVO), which constantly measures volcanic activity, and a complex civil defense system. The island is divided into zones marked with letters (A, B, ...) with different statuses; the observatory, based on observations, assigns a “danger level” from 1 to 5 (currently the “danger level” is 3). Depending on the “level of danger”, certain activities are allowed or prohibited in different zones: somewhere you can live and do whatever you want, fearing only ash falling from the sky and Caribbean cyclones; somewhere you can live for those who already live, but be prepared to evacuate; No one except specialists is allowed to be somewhere. Every house usually has a silent battery-powered radio, through which an evacuation alert can be transmitted at any time - in a sense, an analogue of our radio point (whose main purpose, as we know, is civil defense and emergency alerts)

Most of the island (zone V), regardless of the level of danger, is always closed to normal human life

The EC$20 note still features the government house of Montserrat:

Some houses in zone V look completely intact, but after a few cyclones and a few years, their roofs will first collapse, and then trees will grow through the roofs

Light and fragile volcanic pumice is easily washed away by tropical rains. Erosion is destroying Plymouth much faster than any pyroclastic flows

Scientists see a cruise ship pier: from the ridge of concrete blocks dividing the frame horizontally in half, and from the remains of some port structures at the bottom of the frame, one can guess its original length. All the rest of the sand is further into the sea - “ new land", from rock brought by a volcanic eruption or an ordinary mudflow

Scientists see a power plant: they say there are intact generators left inside, and although it is not clear how much time has spared them, there is a plan to dismantle them and restore them in a new location

This used to be the old airport of Montserrat. Nothing left

Scientists see a boulder almost the size of a floor on the roof of a house:

This stone rolled down from a volcano: it is 5 floors high

Everything below the cliffs is new land, which was formed by eruptions over the past 15 years

The dome of the volcano is hidden by a cloud in which sulfur fumes are thickly mixed. The smell is truly hellish

This is not a landing or hovering: the helicopter flies at 120-200 km/h, 5-7 meters from the ground. The pilot says that any helicopter pilot is taught this, because such flights (close to the ground and objects) are one of the main niches for the use of helicopters. “There are airplanes for flying at high altitudes and away from obstacles.” Helicopter flights are almost always visual, only very large and/or cool machines are equipped for instrument flights

People left the “zone”, but the animals remained and went wild. A special Montserrat pastime is hunting wild sheep and goats in the “zone”

The sulfur erupted by the volcano oxidizes and, mixing with water, spills onto the ground as acid rain - this is why there are so many dead trees here

The house on the left clearly shows how he was buried pyroclastic flow almost to the level of the 2nd floor, but nature managed to take its toll, everything was already overgrown with lush greenery. Gullies are formed when volcanic sand carried pyroclastic flow washed away by the rain

But according to this river valley I didn't walk near Plymouth pyroclastic flow, and an ordinary mudflow: when a cyclone floods the Caribbean with water, the streams wash away volcanic material and carry it down to the sea

In the valley there used to be a Montserrat golf club, a bridge over a river and a suburb of Plymouth with the most expensive real estate on the island. Now it's all buried under a 5-meter layer of volcanic sand

Nowadays, volcanic sand is mined here, transported to the port on dump trucks, loaded onto barges and exported to neighboring Caribbean countries - concrete made from volcanic sand requires less cement